After a relatively eventful morning, with the news of Chicago Red Stars second round draft pick Michele Vasconcelos announcing she will be missing the 2017 season due to her expecting her first child, the Red Stars announced the final two games that will round out their preseason. In addition to the previously-announced Portland Thorns Spring Invitational at Providence Park, featuring games against the Portland Thorns, the Houston Dash, and the US Soccer U-23 squad, the Red Stars will be playing the University of Wisconsin-Madison at Reddan Park in Madison, as well as traveling to Alumni Stadium in South Bend to take on the Notre Dame women’s soccer team.
The addition of the two matches against college teams certainly shows the Red Stars pushing a much more aggressive preseason agenda, after a 2016 schedule of just three games against Division I University teams. This year, with the team adding the sure to be very competitive Spring Invitational in Portland to their preseason regimen, the Red Stars should expect to see a variety of different tactics and lineups, which should hopefully propel the team into a quick start to the season.
Full Chicago Red Stars Preseason Schedule:
Thursday, March 16th
University of Wisconsin-Madison vs. Chicago Red Stars 7 p.m. CT (Reddan Soccer Park)
Sunday, March 26th
Portland Thorns FC vs. Chicago Red Stars 5 p.m. PT (Providence Park)
Wednesday, March 29th
Houston Dash vs. Chicago Red Stars 5 p.m. PT (Providence Park)
Saturday, April 1st
Chicago Red Stars vs. U-23s 5 p.m. PT (Providence Park)
Thursday, April 6th
Notre Dame vs. Chicago Red Stars 4 p.m. CT (Alumni Stadium)
The completed schedule for the 2017 NWSL season is expected to be released in the upcoming weeks, with one game per weekend to be broadcast exclusively on the Lifetime Network. As in previous seasons, the Red Stars pre-season roster consists of all players currently under contract, as well as two players from the 2017 NWSL draft.