Red Stars net 5-0 win over Red Eleven

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. -- The Chicago Red Stars found their offensive spark, netting four second-half goals as the Women's Professional Soccer side defeated United Soccer Leagues W-League affiliate Chicago Red Eleven, 5-0, on Friday night in an exhibition match at the Schwaben Athletic Club.

Brazilian forward Cristiane had two goals in 45 minutes of play as the Red Stars' movement up top created many scoring opportunities throughout the match. The Red Stars went with three attacking players, with Kosovare Asllani, Casey Nogueira and Naperville, Ill., native Michele Weissenhofer starting up top on Friday.

"I've really been working hard on the front three -- pressuring, and putting the [opposing] team on a lot of pressure, and I thought in the first half we did that really well," Red Stars Head Coach Emma Hayes said. "And then making sure our movement's good up top to create opportunities. When it was 1-nil at halftime, I thought we deserved to be up by a bit more."

For more, visit ChicagoRedStars.com.

Red Stars, Red Eleven set for Chicagoland showdown

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Red Stars of Women's Professional Soccer and United Soccer Leagues W-League affiliate Chicago Red Eleven are gearing up for an exhibition match at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Schwaben Athletic Club, 301 Weiland Ave., in Buffalo Grove, Ill.

General admission is $10, and ages 6 and under receive free admission.

The Red Stars are without a rather large contingent of players because of national team duty. That will give plenty of other Red Stars an opportunity to stamp their presence on the first-team squad. Combine that with seeing a few familiar faces such as Red Eleven's Bonnie Young -- a former Red Star -- and a bunch of local soccer flavor, and this exhibition provides an interesting change of pace from league play.

"We're definitely looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces," Red Stars Head Coach Emma Hayes said. "But most importantly, this game will give some of our players who haven't played a chance to see if they can compete for a starting position for the Bay Area game."

For more, visit ChicagoRedStars.com.

Red Stars fall to Independence, 1-0

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Red Stars fell to the expansion Philadelphia Independence, 1-0, on Saturday in Women's Professional Soccer action in front of 5,645 fans at Toyota Park.

The Independence improved to 3-1-2 and the Red Stars dropped to 1-4-1 on the season.

"I think everyone is somewhat frustrated, but I think this is the time where it tests our character a lot," Red Stars defender Marian Dalmy said. "I can speak for every person on this team that we will keep fighting, and no matter what it takes we will find it."

Read more at ChicagoRedStars.com.

Red Stars face expansion Philly

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Red Stars start a three-game homestand this Saturday when they welcome the expansion Philadelphia Independence for a 6 p.m. match at Toyota Park. This is the first meeting between the two Women's Professional Soccer clubs.

Both teams are coming off losses in last week’s competition when the Red Stars fell to FC Gold Pride, 2-0, and Philadelphia was dealt its first loss of the season, a 2-1 decision against Saint Louis Athletica. The Red Stars are looking to capture their first home win of the 2010 season.

"Philadelphia is a very hard-working, physical team and if we're going to match them this weekend we're going to have to compete with them physically," Red Stars Head Coach Emma Hayes said. "They've gotten their results by really grinding out performances and I think they more than fully deserve the position they're in at this stage."

For the full preview, visit ChicagoRedStars.com.

Shorthanded Red Stars fall to Gold Pride

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. -- The Chicago Red Stars fell to first-place FC Gold Pride, 2-0, on Saturday in Women's Professional Soccer play at Castro Valley Athletic Stadium.

The Red Stars had to play for approximately 65 minutes with only 10 players on the pitch. In the 25th minute, Red Stars defender Ifeoma Dieke was issued a red card for fouling Gold Pride's Kelley O'Hara in the box.

Chicago avoided any initial damage when Gold Pride's Tiffeny Milbrett missed that particular penalty kick attempt. But Milbrett and O'Hara would make up for it with goals in the 45th and 78th minutes, respectively.

"We hoped to get into halftime scoreless, and them scoring a minute before halftime was a blow for us," Red Stars Head Coach Emma Hayes said of Milbrett's goal. "Chasing the game for 60 minutes is just too difficult for this level."

For the full game recap, visit ChicagoRedStars.com.

Markgraf still playing with passion

By Paul D. Bowker, Red Line Editorial

OAK BROOK, Ill. - Halfway through a recent Chicago Red Stars practice, three attackers moved ahead with the ball, precisely targeted in on the goal. Immediately, Kate Markgraf sprinted into the middle of play from her defensive position. Soccer class was in session.

Soon, the ball deflected out of play, and another rotation was back in action.

Not bad for a 33-year-old mother of three.

"She amazes me," Red Stars coach Emma Hayes said. "She really does. She's inspiring to be around ... a pleasure to coach."

Markgraf, in her own way, almost shrugs off the attention. She is playing soccer the way she always has in six world championship events, at the University of Notre Dame and in her native Michigan as a youth. That is to say, with passion.

"I don't have any fairytale storybook traditions," Markgraf said. "My whole goal is to go ahead every single day with the best attitude and the best mind-set and to give 100 percent every day, and the chips will fall where they may. Do the best I can."

Read Paul Bowker's full piece at TeamUSA.org.

RED STARS 3, FC GOLD PRIDE 1

Cristiane nets first hat trick in WPS history

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Momentum has been difficult to find for the Chicago Red Stars in their Women’s Professional Soccer debut. And with a road trip and some key absences on the horizon, a victory Sunday was of the essence.

Thankfully for the Red Stars, Brazilian sensation Cristiane is heating up with her play making abilities, and she did so in a big way with the first hat trick in WPS history as Chicago earned its second straight win, defeating FC Gold Pride, 3-1, at Toyota Park.

She needs to be the catalyst since soon the team will be without Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Lindsay Tarpley, who are bound for the U.S. Women’s National Team and will miss next Sunday's game against Sky Blue FC. Karen Carney will miss the next two games because of her call-up to England's National Team.

“Cristiane showed her qualities as a world class finisher. And I will credit the assisters, as well,” Red Stars head coach Emma Hayes said. “The team showed that they were gutsy and greedy when they didn’t dominate or felt totally in control. And for me, that’s the sign of a good team.”

As solid as Cristiane’s finishing was, she also was the recipient of some strong passing and setups, with Rapinoe standing above the most. Though she only had one assist, Rapinoe created several other chances to keep Gold Pride’s defense busy in key spurts.

“I think that I positioned myself well, and I received good (setups) from my teammates” Cristiane said through Red Stars teammate and translator Lydia Vandenbergh. “You always don’t have a lot of chances to score in a game, and I look to get my chances on-frame.”

Cristiane put the Red Stars (4-6-5) on the board in the 31st minute with a penalty kick goal past Gold Pride goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart. She was tripped a minute earlier by Rachel Buehler and calmly gave Chicago the 1-0 lead after both teams were off to a pretty slow start.

Then in first-half stoppage time, Cristiane broke through the Gold Pride defense after Rapinoe’s send. She took advantage of the one-on-one opportunity against Barnhart, dribbling around the Gold Pride goalkeeper to her left. Two Gold Pride defenders managed to get back, but Cristiane’s shot trickled past both of them and she celebrated with her patented back flip.

The Gold Pride (3-8-3) battled back when Rapinoe fouled Tiffeny Milbrett in the box when going for a header. Milbrett took the PK in the 64th minute and cut the deficit to 2-1.

But unlike many games limited in the scoring department and limited in big swings, the Red Stars immediately snagged back Gold Pride’s momentum just 1 minute later as Cristiane notched her third goal of the game with a solid strike toward the upper left corner of the net.



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Next up: The Red Stars head out on a short two-game road trip, starting with a 6 p.m. (CST) match Wednesday, July 15, against the Boston Breakers.

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SlideTackles.net thoughts: The three points were an absolute must for Chicago, and Cristiane didn’t disappoint. A few bounces definitely went Chicago’s way, which has not been the case much this season - Cristiane’s second goal is a perfect example.

The Red Stars’ defensive play was relatively steady, coming up with some key intercepted passes or forcing Gold Pride into some difficult looks at the net. Christine Sinclair had a few scoring opportunities, but for the most part Chicago’s defense kept her in check. And Sinclair was a one-woman wrecking crew against the Red Stars in the teams’ previous matchups, scoring both Gold Pride goals en route to a win and a draw.

Hayes said Cristiane was taken out of the match in the 67th minute so she can maintain some energy for the Red Stars’ busy stretch on the road.

Anyone following WPS knows the race for the playoffs is as tight as it can be (minus the Los Angeles Sol). The back-to-back wins, a first for Chicago, now puts the Red Stars in fifth place. The top four advance to the playoffs.

The Red Stars have given teams some fits on the road, and they have quite a bit of work to do in adding to this “winning streak.” That has a pretty nice ring to it.

FC GOLD PRIDE 1, RED STARS 0

Chicago drops 2nd straight home match

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Both the Chicago Red Stars and FC Gold Pride were coming off of disappointing shutout losses last week in Women’s Professional Soccer play. The Bay Area turned the tide, but Chicago could not break through with a goal.

The Gold Pride topped the Red Stars, 1-0, on Saturday night at Toyota Park, and Chicago (2-2-2) dropped its second straight during a five-game home stand.

“It’s a quiet locker room in there right now, because they know they could have gotten more from the game,” Red Stars head coach Emma Hayes said.

The Bay Area improved to 3-3-1, thanks to an early goal and a clean sheet in the second half.

“Defensively, we held strong against an excellent attacking team,” Gold Pride head coach Albertin Montoya said. “Chicago may be the best attacking team in the league, and I have a lot of respect for them.”

This game carried quite a bit of value for the Red Stars because they will lose defender Marian Dalmy and midfielders Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Lindsay Tarpley to the Women’s National Team next week. The WNT takes on Canada on May 25, and the Red Stars’ four stars will not be available for Chicago’s May 23 home match against St. Louis Athletica.

On Saturday, the Red Stars started to create some chances on the offensive end in the first half, and the buildup was evident with Cristiane heavily on the attack, and Rapinoe the main catalyst trying to get Cristiane the ball. Then, in the 30th minute, the Gold Pride grabbed the momentum in a heartbeat.

Christine Sinclair netted the only goal, unassisted. She was the beneficiary of a ball that was booted into the side from their right side and bounced away from Red Stars goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson. The ball wound up at Sinclair’s feet and she practically dribbled it all the way into the net for a 1-0 lead.

“This was huge for us to get a goal in the first half,” Sinclair said. “We’ve struggled to get goals lately.”

In the net, Jonsson made four saves for the Red Stars while Nicole Barnhart had three saves for the Gold Pride. Barnhart made a clutch save in the 83rd minute on a Karen Carney strike. It was the best Red Stars scoring chance in the second half, but nothing mirrored their attack between the 20th and 30th minutes.

“It’s a little bit disappointing obviously,” Rapinoe said of the turn of events in the first half. “We played really well in that stretch in that moment there. But I think as a player, you can’t let yourself get deflated after they score a goal. We still had plenty of time left in the game. I thought we played well at times today and I thought that we had a lot of attacking chances.”

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Next up: The Red Stars host St. Louis Athletica at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at Toyota Park. Not television or Web cast are available for the match.

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SlideTackles.net thoughts: The Red Stars needed a victory Saturday for many reasons: to rebound from their previous defeat against Sky Blue FC, to take advantage of their five-game home stand, and to capitalize on having a full roster before they are shorthanded against St. Louis.

Now they have to juggle a few things around to try and match up against St. Louis Athletica. Thankfully for the Red Stars, St. Louis will be without goalkeeper Hope Solo and defender Lori Chalupny, who are joining the WNT.

On Saturday the Red Stars did showcase some creativity with the ball, especially in the first half. Here are just a few moments within that buildup between the 20th and 30th minutes: Rapinoe was called offside in the 21st minute after making a quick run, otherwise she would have had the game’s first goal. In the 27th minute, Rapinoe made a fantastic touch with the outside of her right foot on a cross from the left wing, but it was just out of reach for Cristiane. Then in the 29th minute, Cristiane had a shot on goal after another good setup by Rapinoe.

“I think the first half, our attacking play was exciting. I think it was the best we’ve been this season,” Hayes said. “I think Cristiane proved her worth and her abilities.”

Thankfully Cristiane’s attacking skills are available next week. She and Carney will need to shoulder the load offensively when they are shorthanded against St. Louis.