Chicago Stars hire Martin Sjögren as coach: Why the NWSL side's move is a risky bet that could backfire

The Chicago Stars FC have their next head coach just four months after dismissing former manager Lorne Donaldon. The club hired Hammarby's Martin Sjögren as the next head coach, and will add Sjögren's longtime assistant, Anders Jacobson, as first assistant.

Sjögren will join the team following the Swedish Damallsvenskan league season and coach the Stars for the start of the upcoming 2026 NWSL regular season. Jacobson will join the club in the following weeks as interim head coach. Chicago Stars acting manager Ella Masar will continue as an assistant coach following Jacobson's arrival.

Sources within the club confirmed that Massar was not part of the interview process nor a candidate for the position, as the franchise wanted to allow her to focus on preparing the team for the restart of the NWSL season. To be a full-time head coach, the NWSL requires a Pro-License, which Masar does not currently have, though the experienced coach holds a UEFA A License. This will be the third coach Masar has worked with as a coach with the Chicago club since joining the sidelines in 2023.

The staffing news comes just four months after the club moved on from Donaldson, who was let go by the club after losing five of six games to open the 2025 regular season. Stars FC general manager Richard Feuz told the media in May that performance issues, lack of overall development, and sporting data were reasons for Donaldson's dismissal. The GM placed no timeline for a hire back in the Spring, and also painted desired traits of a potential future head coach, including "a tremendous human being," and developing a defined style and identity for the club moving forward.

In a club statement on Wednesday, Feuz highlighted and emphasized some of the same points from four months ago.

"This appointment is the result of a rigorous, data-driven hiring process and deep discussions about our soccer identity, methodology, and long-term vision, Feuz said in a club statement. "We were not just looking for top-level coaches but for people with exceptional human values, leaders who align with our ambition to build a high-performance environment rooted in trust, unity, and a true sense of family.

Martin and Anders will bring a wealth of international experience and are fully committed to developing a clear, intelligent, and forward-thinking style of play that emphasizes control, collective ambition, and attacking football. Together with the rest of our staff, they will play a key role in shaping our culture and helping each player grow individually, as we work relentlessly to reach our sporting goals."

So, now that the Stars have their leading candidate, who is Sjögren and what is he bringing to the club? Let's dive into why this is, at best, a narrowly focused coaching hire and, at worst, a missed opportunity.

What is a Hammarby

Sjögren is the current head coach of Hammarby IF and a native of Gimo, Sweden. A former player turned manager who played across divisional leagues in Sweden, including top-flight Allsvenskan, before becoming a coach.

"To get the opportunity to lead the Chicago Stars in the NWSL is something that I really look forward to," said Sjögren in a club statement. "I have got a very good impression of the owners and people working in the club. The future plans of the club that have been presented match my own ambition in building a sustainable and successful organization over time. I see lots of good opportunities to build something really interesting with the Stars. I look forward to arriving in Chicago to meet everyone and start work."

After his playing career, he began coaching in the Damallsvenskan and won the league three times, including a back-to-back stint (2010, 2011) with LdB FC Malmö. After a third title in 2016, and going undefeated with Linköpings FC, he accepted the role of head coach with the Norway Women's national team, and that's where he made his loudest impression on the women's game. It wasn't a positive one and it's a tenure that the women's soccer streets won't soon forget.

In what can only be described as an era of underachievement, Sjögren and Norway were eliminated in the 2017 and 2022 UEFA women's Euro group stages, with a lone point of pride in a quarterfinal appearance in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Most notably, Sjögren's time with the national team did not include star player Ada Hegeberg, who stepped away from international duty in the summer of 2017 in protest of the federation and inadequate treatment.

While Hegerberg has never cited Sjögren specifically as a reason to stay away, the optics are not ideal. However, he was still present during her return to play in the 2022 Euros. Afterwards, the federation and former coach agreed to part ways after another disappointing tournament showing.

Presently, Sjögren's Hammarby side sits in second place on the league table with a one-point difference from first place, with the season set to end in November. He led the team to third place last year, and the club qualified for participation in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

How Chicago got here

The franchise stepped into a new era with a different ownership group announced in late 2023. An ownership collective led by Chicago Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts sought to embark on a long-term vision for the franchise. Karen Leetzow was appointed new Club President, and later Donaldson was hired, with Feuz brought on board shortly after the 2024 NWSL draft. Donaldson's initial hiring was met with waves of enthusiasm and a small layer of expectation, as the former Jamaica women's national team coach reached the knockout rounds with the Reggae Girlz in the FIFA 2023 Women's World Cup.

He had a long history of working in youth soccer and is the former coach of U.S. women's national team forwards Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson. Creating a fun and competitive environment was a consistent refrain around his arrival and short stint with the club, by players and staff on record and on background. Those were word choices that were long absent from the franchise following several toxic work environments and varying abuse allegations and investigations into the club following the 2022 season.

Despite making the playoffs in his first year, the Stars mostly stumbled in the postseason as an eighth seed and were blown out in a 4-1 loss against eventual champions Orlando. The stagnant and poor form continued in early 2025, and with Swanson away on maternity leave, there was no goal-scoring, game-changing savior to rely on like last season.

There have been some notable performances this year. An obvious sophomore season spurt for Jameese Joseph in the attacking third was exciting until the player unfortunately had to manage an injury. Other injury hiccups along the way include defender Natalia Kuikka and former U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who was sidelined since May through the league's mid-summer month long break.

Injuries and an absence of offseason moves by Feuz and club executives ahead of 2025 and during the summer window have also contributed to continued growing pains, adding more baggage to the already heavy season.

Why this will or won't work for Chicago

Initial impressions of the new hire were underwhelming to NWSL faithful, and there are definitely reasons to be concerned. Pro sports is a results business, and at this point in the Chicago Stars' history, trying literally anything would be better than nothing at this crossroads.

Is that a bar lower and grayer than Chicago's Lower Wacker Drive during the Dark Knight? Quite possibly. The club, its new manager, and interim-head coach have expressed that there is a "shared vision" for a "modern, data-driven approach" to the game. What that mutual philosophy is, which tactical understandings those are, and how it actually functions or looks on an NWSL pitch will have to wait till at least Jacobson gets here.

So, for now, at minimum, it seems like club executives and coaches are finally aligned on those things, whereas it never seemed to mix earlier this season. Sources within the club confirmed that they're hopeful the new interim will arrive ahead of September, as visa processes are still in the works.

That said, embarking on this plan now means more or less conceding the rest of the current season. And while that may seem reasonable for a team mired in second to last place, 12 points behind the playoff line, and struggling for goals, there are only so many seasons you can give up on while claiming to build for the future before fans start to wonder if that future is ever going to arrive.

Fan patience and support has been waning, and another losing season with a lack of player recruitment or ability to attract high-profile talent will only widen what already feels like a growing rift between the club and its supporters. If Donaldson was a first attempt that simply didn't work out, Sjögren brings not only pressures for success on the sidelines, but a tougher litmus test for its executives on running a successful club.

The struggles of the club further highlight the timeline of his onboarding as strange as well. In a recent series of "break the mold" type women's soccer coaching hiring practices, U.S. Soccer and Emma Hayes established the precedent in landing a high-profile championship-winning coach, sometimes you concede a bit of timeline in order to get the best candidate out there.

That was followed by Women's soccer super CEO Michelle Kang's attempt to land a Champions League winner, Jonathan Giraldez, to now two of her owned clubs in the Washington Spirit and OL Lyonnes, with a delayed debut on the Spirit sideline to give him time to wrap up winning the Champions League with Barcelona.

While Sjögren won league titles as recently as nearly a decade ago, that's not quite the same resume of a bona fide winner. Eating extra months of transition to bring in somebody with bragging rights in England's WSL, Spain's Liga F, France's Ligue 1, or Germany's Bundesliga, might be one thing, but this move isn't quite fitting the "mold" that has been set.

Where are the Stars headed?

Honestly, who knows, and that is a massive optics issue for the club right now. It's also a major red flag when it comes to trying to attract global talent. If anyone had an actual answer to this, the franchise would be firmly in year two of a "methodical" rebuild instead of smashing the reset button into year three of new ownership. Donaldson's termination and Feuz's "no timeline" for the next head coach, combined with an interview process ending in a four month wait certainly doesn't demonstrate any urgency.

There's always a timeline in sports, even when you're told there isn't. Especially if the "five-year" approach to a rebuild plan is now two years behind, and more glaring when initial player moves that signaled a new start will now run their course next season.

Rickett's era player moves included high-profile defenders Sam Staab and Natalia Kuikka, whose contracts expire in 2026. Alyssa Naeher is on a one-year contract. Swanson was offered a historic four-year contract in 2024, which at the time included a fifth-year option for 2028 worth $2 million over the contract length. The four-season deal will now enter its third year in 2026.

With Donaldson's dismissal, Stars FC found themselves in another position to bring some excitement in a low season, they've gone a different route. While it's true that the club can celebrate bringing its first-ever European head coach to Chicago, it's a hire that with a timeline and pedigree that lacks any pizzaz. In the city of big shoulders and flavorful Italian beefs, it's a bland hiring that will have to show real results to justify itself. It's definitely not delicious thin crust pizza. It's not even tourist trap deep dish, it's a coaching hire that's simply just bread. Even if it's useful, will anybody ever really like it?