The Chicago Stars have named former Norway women’s national team coach Martin Sjögren as the National Women’s Soccer League club’s new head coach.
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.
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