Chicago Red Stars ready for third straight NWSL semifinals
In the Red Stars' first NWSL semifinal appearance back in 2015 they suffered a 3-0 rout at the hands of eventual champion FC Kansas City. They fared better in the 2016 semifinals, but not well enough: Chicago lost 2-1 in overtime against the Washington Spirit.
This year, the Red Stars enter a semifinal matchup against the top-ranked North Carolina Courage on Sunday as a young squad that boasts plenty of playoff experience — and an eagerness for redemption.
“It was disappointing to come away from those (2016) semifinals with a loss,” Danielle Colaprico, starting Red Stars midfielder, said. “We have that experience, we have the players. In my opinion, we have the best roster of 20 in the league. We just have to push to the final and push to the championship after that.”
The Red Stars also have the experience of defeating North Carolina in all three regular-season meetings between the two teams this year, making Chicago the only opponent the Courage were unable to defeat.
Colaprico noted the strength of North Carolina's attack, led by forward Lynn Williams with 9 goals on the season and NWSL Rookie of the Year candidate Ashley Hatch with 7 goals. However, Colaprico also noted the Red Stars' success in defending the Courage thus far in 2017. Chicago won the three matchups 3-1, 3-2 and 2-1.
National Team star forward Christen Press, a Most Valuable Player award finalist this year, leads the Red Stars in scoring with 11 goals, a franchise single-season record. But Colaprico said the team's greatest strength is its emphasis on the whole, cohesive group rather than any one player.
“The group has really come together as a team,” Colaprico said. “The focus is us. It's always been on us; it's never been about the individuals on the team. This year, we've really all bought into playing and doing what the coach is asking of us.”
Looking back at the regular season, Colaprico said a stretch of three straight home losses in August served as a “pivotal moment” in which the team realized a need to come together to make a final playoff push.
They did so. After the three-game skid, Chicago earned three wins and a draw leading up to a loss to the Portland Thorns in the final game of the regular season, when the Red Stars had already clinched a playoff spot.
Colaprico also emphasized the need for the Red Stars to stay engaged for a full 90 minutes — or more, as was the case in the 2016 overtime game — in order to reach the franchise's first NWSL championship game.
The Red Stars are seeded fourth in the four-team playoffs with a record of 11-7-6 and if they can defeat the Courage, they would travel to Orlando for the final on Oct. 14 against the winner of a Saturday matchup between the Portland Thorns and the Orlando Pride.
The Red Stars' third-consecutive NWSL semifinal match begins at 2:30 p.m. CT on Lifetime against the Courage in North Carolina.