Former Norway coach Martin Sjögren named coach of the NWSLs Chicago Stars
Sjögren will join the Stars starting with the 2026 season after wrapping up the current season as head coach for Hammarby in the Swedish Damallsvenskan, the Stars announced Wednesday.
'For me, this position as head coach of the Chicago Stars is a new challenge in a new country, in a new league," he said in a video posted to social media Wednesday. 'But to me the NWSL has always been a very interesting league. It's one of the most competitive leagues in the world, if not the most competitive. And there's so many things happening in the U.S. when it comes to women's football, and it's growing really, really fast." Sjögren coached Norway's women from 2016 through 2022, leading the team to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Women's World Cup. Norway also played in the Women's European Championships in 2017 and 2022 under Sjögren.
Sjögren's longtime assistant and friend, Anders Jacobson, has been named interim coach through this year and will join the team in the coming weeks, the team said. Current interim coach Ella Masar will continue as an assistant coach.
'This appointment is the result of a rigorous, data-driven hiring process and deep discussions about our soccer identity, methodology and long-term vision. We were not just looking for top-level coaches but for people with exceptional human values, leaders who align with our ambition to build a high-performance environment rooted in trust, unity, and a true sense of family," Stars general manager Richard Feuz said.
The Stars fired coach Lorne Donaldson after winning just one of six games to start the NWSL season.
Donaldson, who led the Jamaican national team to the knockout round at the 2023 Women's World Cup, was in his second season with Chicago. The Stars went 10-14-2 in his first season and made the playoffs.
The Stars are currently 1-9-5 and sit second-to-last in the NWSL standings. (AP) AM AM AM
view comments
First Published:
August 14, 2025, 09:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Why is Alexander Isak not playing in Aston Villa vs Newcastle United in Premier League?
Newcastle United started its new Premier League campaign against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham. However, the Magpies did not have their star striker, Alexander Isak, in the matchday squad. Isak, who had 27 goals and six assists across all competitions for Newcastle, rose to the status of a club hero when he scored the decisive goal against Liverpool in the League Cup final, which earned the team its first silverware in over seven decades. Having moved to Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022, the Swedish forward has 62 goals and 11 assists for the Premier League side. Why is Isak not playing Aston Villa vs Newcastle United? Isak was initially in Nawcastle manager Eddie Howe's plans for the 2025-26 season, but heavy transfer interest from league-holder Liverpool led to a fall-out between the player and manager. The rift led to Isak starting his pre-season training separately from the rest of the squad, at his former club in Spain, Sociedad. Later, Howe admitted that it was not possible to integrate him into the squad. Before Newcastle's opening match in the league, against Villa, it became official that Isak was set to be ruled out of Howe's plans, with the forward out of the squad.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Luis Díaz scores for Bayern to win German Supercup on his debut
BERLIN (AP) — Luis Díaz scored and won a title on his Bayern Munich debut after a 2-1 win over Stuttgart in the German Supercup on Saturday. HT Image Harry Kane also scored for the Bundesliga champion to win the least important trophy of the season, opening the scoring in the 18th minute when the ball dropped kindly for him to shoot inside the left post. Bayern dominated the early stages but Stuttgart fought back with Nick Woltemade drawing a good save from Manuel Neuer. Woltemade was and possibly still is a summer transfer target for Bayern. The clubs have so far been unable to agree on a fee despite the player's openness to the move. Díaz joined Bayern from Liverpool last month and remains the club's biggest deal of the offseason. Neuer produced an outstanding reflex save to deny Jamie Leweling two minutes before Díaz scored in the 77th when Leweling was receiving treatment after clashing knees with Bayern's Sacha Boey. Leweling recovered and headed Stuttgart's consolation in stoppage time. It's the fourth year that German soccer officials have staged what was the traditional curtain-raiser for the season on the same weekend as the first round of the German Cup, forcing the participants to postpone their cup games. Stuttgart starts its title defense at Eintracht Braunschweig on Aug. 26 with Bayern playing third-division side Wehen Wiesbaden the following day. Wolfsburg routed fifth-tier SV Hemelingen 9-0 in the first round of the German Cup, and other Bundesliga teams also enjoyed big wins over lower-league opposition. Two-time champion Leipzig twice came from behind to beat fourth-tier SV Sandhausen 4-2 with new signings Ezechiel Banzuzi and Yan Diomande scoring. Heidenheim won at 10-man fourth-tier Bahlinger SC 5-0, Hoffenheim won at third-division Hansa Rostock 4-0, and Freiburg won at fourth-tier club Sportfreunde Lotte 2-0. Hamburger SV, which clinched its return to the Bundesliga last season, survived a scare at fifth-tier Pirmasens, equalizing late to send the match to extra time, where Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer headed the winner for 2-1. Königsdörffer was playing for Hamburg only because a proposed early August move to Nice broke down after his medical check with the French team. Bochum also needed a late goal to level before prevailing at nine-man Dynamo Berlin 3-1. St. Pauli needed penalties to get past fourth-tier Hamburg rival Eintracht Norderstedt, while fourth-tier Bavarian team FV Illertissen upset Miroslav Klose's Nuremberg by winning 6-5 on penalties after their game ended 3-3 with extra time. Also, second-division side Darmstadt won at fourth-tier Lübeck 2-1, and third-division Energie Cottbus won 1-0 to upset Hannover, which is playing in the division above. ___ AP soccer:
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Raphinha and Yamal score as Barcelona starts La Liga title defense beating 9-man Mallorca
MADRID (AP) — Barcelona began the defense of its La Liga title with a comfortable 3-0 win at Mallorca, scoring early and taking advantage of two first-half red cards for the host on Saturday. HT Image Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, who led Barcelona's prolific attack last season, needed only seven minutes to impress again. Yamal's curling cross found Raphinha by the far post and the Brazil forward headed in from close range. Ferran Torres' shot from outside the area in the 23rd was a goal that drew complaints by Mallorca because one of its players was on the ground after being hit by the ball in the head in the buildup. Some Mallorca players stopped playing after their teammate went down, but the referee allowed play to continue. Mallorca immediately complained after Ferran scored. The host went a man down 10 minutes later when Manu Morlanes was sent off for a second yellow card for fouling Yamal on the run. His first yellow was for protesting Barcelona's second goal. The second red card in the 39th came from Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi hitting the head of Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García with his left foot while reaching up for a high ball. The referee changed the card from yellow to red after a video review. Yamal made it 3-0 in second half stoppage time by hitting the top corner. Barcelona, which won the league last season after scoring 102 goals, was without veteran striker Robert Lewandowski because of an injury. Newly signed forward Marcus Rashford went in as a substitute in the 69th. García didn't have to work much in his Barcelona debut after being signed in the offseason in a transfer from city rival Espanyol. Regular starting goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen is out after undergoing lower back surgery, and García started ahead of Wojciech Szczęsny and Iñaki Peña, who replaced Ter Stegen last season. Later Saturday, Valencia hosted Real Sociedad and promoted Levante visited Alaves. On Friday, Rayo Vallecano won at Girona 3-1 and Villarreal defeated promoted Oviedo 2-0. Atletico Madrid is at Espanyol on Sunday, while Real Madrid hosts Osasuna on Tuesday. ___ AP soccer:
