Three playoff semifinals. Three disappointing losses. Despite some stumbles during the season, the Chicago Red Stars were still good enough to qualify for the playoffs. They’re not, evidently, not good enough to make some noise once they get here. There will no doubt be an inquest during this offseason as the Red Stars look for a path to the promise land. There has to be.
To the extent that the Red Stars had any chance today, it was because goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher kept them in the game when the back line struggled to contain their hosts.