Red Stars add 3 players to NWSL roster

The Chicago Red Stars have added three more free agents for the upcoming NWSL season.

Former Olympic team captain Lori Chalupny, Taryn Hemmings, and Ella Masar will join the women’s pro soccer team, which signed Olympic veteran Leslie Osborne last week.

Chalupny, a 29-year-old versatile midfielder from St. Louis and also captain of the 2008 gold-medal Olympic USWNT with 92 caps, returns to Chicago for her second season. She was an integral part of the 2012 Red Stars team that contended in the WPSL Elite final. In between seasons she spent time in Sweden with team AIK.

Masar, a former Red Star forward and Illinois native, will return to the club this season. The leading scorer on the 2010 WPS Red Stars team, Masar later played a season with French side Paris Saint-Germain. Like Chalupny, the opportunity to play close to home played a role in her decision to remain with Chicago.

“Getting to play at home makes this crazy whirlwind of the last couple years come into perspective,” said the 26-year-old Masar. “I have had some amazing experiences throughout my years of being a pro player, but nothing has ever been quite like home!”

Hemmings, a defender, has been brought in to bolster an a back line that features Canadians Erin McLeod and Carmelina Moscato. The 26-year-old Colorado-native most recently competed with the Boston Breakers in WPS and WPSL Elite. She also spent time with Australian side Canberra.