After a last-place finish in 2023, followed by the firing of coach Chris Petrucelli, the Red Stars have a new coach.
Lorne Donaldson, former coach of the Jamaica women’s national team, was announced as the club’s new coach in a press release Wednesday.
“Lorne has a proven track record as a winning coach and an advocate for his athletes. We believe he has the experience and leadership skills to elevate our talented group of players,” Red Stars Executive Chairperson Laura Ricketts said in a statement.
Donaldson is coming off a historic World Cup run with the Jamaican national team becoming the first from a Caribbean nation to advance to the round of 16. Adding to the greatness of the team’s accomplishments was the fact they did so without adequate support from their federation. Facing financial struggles ahead of the tournament, the team turned to fans to raise funds. Two fundraisers resulted in nearly $100,000.
Jamaica lost 1-0 to Colombia in the round of 16. In September, the federation announced Donaldson would not renew his contract, saying “both parties came to an agreement.”
Donaldson is joining the Red Stars at a critical juncture in the club’s history.
Petrucelli was hired last February after former coach Rory Dames resigned amid reports of abusive behavior, which were later corroborated in a report from former U.S. Justice Department official Sally Q. Yates. Dames received a lifetime ban from the NWSL in January.
While Petrucelli kept the ship afloat during the sale of the club from ousted former owner Arnim Whisler to Ricketts and a group of high-powered Chicago women, success was scarce. In his two seasons, Petrucelli led the Red Stars to a 16-18-9 (W-L-D) record.
The team’s roster currently sits in a state of limbo with eight free agents, including Tierna Davidson, whom the team drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, Mallory Swanson and Casey Krueger. All three players are unrestricted free agents. The team re-signed free-agent midfielder Cari Roccaro to a two-year contract on Dec. 8.
Ahead of the USWNT’s friendly against South Africa in September, Davidson said that how the Red Stars handled the hiring of a new coach and other topics that needed addressing, like facilities, would be considered in her free agency decision. Since then Davidson has, according to a report from the Equalizer, been in advanced talks to sign with Gotham FC.
Donaldson’s experience includes at the youth level with Real Colorado, where he developed stars, including Swanson. There have been indications that the World Cup champion forward will remain in Chicago, including a comment from her husband — Dansby Swanson, who is signed to a seven-year, nearly $200 million contract with the Cubs — saying in an interview in February with USA Today “they pretty much made a promise that they would do right by her.”
According to the Red Stars release, Donaldson will join the club in the coming weeks in preparation for the NWSL Draft on Jan. 12.
“I’m excited to work with this talented team that includes some of the NWSL’s best players to turn the Chicago Red Stars into a championship club both on and off the pitch,” Donaldson said in the team’s release.
