Era dawns for women's pro soccer team

The Stars were born Tuesday.

Chicago's Women's Professional Soccer League team officially adopted the nickname Red Stars, which was chosen by fan balloting.

"It gives us a sense of reality," president and CEO Peter Wilt said. "We're really here. We really have a team. People can start connecting emotionally with us.

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"Today, in a lot of ways for a lot of people, is the first day in our team's history."

The team will play home games at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, but the league has not determined how players will be allocated for next spring's first season.

The team also unveiled its logo, a red, white and blue crest with five red stars.

"The artist did a great job combining two iconic city symbols, the flag and the shield of the city," Wilt said. "It looks to me like it's been around 100 years already. It has an iconic look."

Season tickets will go on sale today. Fans can call (866) WPS-2009 or go to www.chicagoredstars.com.