As general manager of the Red Stars, Michelle Lomnicki is exactly where she’s supposed to be.
It took her leaving the NWSL to be sure of that.
Lomnicki is no newcomer to the league or to the Red Stars organization. She played for the club in 2009 when the team was part of the WPS, one of the leagues that preceded the NWSL and again from 2012-2015.
“When I retired, I needed to make a clean break from the game,” Lomnicki said.
Her reasoning is one so many can relate to. Lomnicki was trying to figure out who she was. At the time, she was pregnant with her first son, and there was no maternity leave policy or support for new mothers in the league. So, Lomnicki decided to retire.
The next chapter of her life was about figuring out her identity outside of the sport. In doing so, she began a career in finance.
“I loved pieces of it but missed soccer,” Lomnicki said.
Last January, Lomnicki was named the Red Stars’ associate GM, working alongside ousted majority owner and CEO Arnim Whisler. This week, the associate title was removed, giving her full responsibility for constructing the Red Stars roster at arguably the most critical time in the club’s history.
Over the course of the last 13 months, former coach Rory Dames resigned hours before a scathing report by the Washington Post detailed accusations of verbal and emotional abuse against him dating back to 2014.
Following the Post’s report last fall, Whisler claimed he was unaware of concerns regarding Dames’ alleged abuse and vowed to bring transparency into the 2022 season. But a report by former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, distributed in October following her investigation into the NWSL, exposed Whisler’s knowledge of Dames’ misconduct and his unwillingness to fire him.
Yates’ report, as well as a report that followed a separate investigation commissioned by the NWSL and the NWSLPA, led to Dames’ permanent ban from the league. Whisler was forced to sell his stake in the club and a $1.5 million fine was imposed on the Red Stars, which will be deducted from the sale’s profit.
Lomnicki is just one of the people tasked with picking up the pieces.
“Our biggest sales pitch [to free agents] is transition breeds opportunity,” Lomnicki said. “The progress we’ve made over the last 10 years is smaller than other clubs, but I would say in general, there is so much room for potential.”
The Red Stars may be a blank canvas, but there are teams in the league who are establishing themselves as masterpieces already. A prime example is the Kansas City Current, who signed two of the Red Stars’ veteran midfielders in free agency: Vanessa DiBernardo and Morgan Gautrat.
In her introductory press conference, Gautrat spoke directly about the resources and facilities being a reason for her signing.
Along with DiBernardo and Gautrat, the Red Stars lost midfielder Danielle Colaprico and forward Rachel Hill in free agency. They re-signed forward Yuki Nagasato and defender Erin Wright and are still in discussion with forward Kealia Watt.
Watt is expected to make a decision regarding her future with the team in the coming weeks.
Since her promotion, Lomnicki has signed two players, forward Jenna Bike and midfielder Addie McCain and added forward Penelope Hocking, midfielder Grace Yochum, forward Allison Schlegel and midfielder Sophie Jones through the NWSL Draft. Although Lomnicki has begun to fill gaping holes, uncertainty remains.
Whisler’s sale of the Red Stars opens the possibility that it could be bought and absorbed by impending expansion clubs, with two new clubs expected to join the league by 2024. It’s a priority of those remaining to see the franchise remain in Chicago.
“It’s an incredibly massive market,” Lomnicki said. “I don’t see why any owner wouldn’t want to come in here and be part of it and tap into the areas we haven’t yet tapped into.”
