It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
The Chicago Red Stars will compete in their fourth consecutive NWSL Playoff semifinal as a franchise. And while the opponent is a familiar one, the semblance around this year’s Red Stars team is one that looks and feels different as they embark on another postseason campaign.
Of the original 2015 team to make the playoffs for the first time in Red Stars NWSL history, only five players are still with the current roster. Players and staff alike feel like that’s a difference-maker.
With Hurricane Florence dominating the news last week and touching down this past weekend, it was the lackadaisical path to a decision regarding the original date and location of this semifinal that put the league under the spotlight.