Who Will Be the Next Chicago Stars Manager? Six Candidates to Consider | OneFootball

Last week, the Chicago Stars parted ways with manager Lorne Donaldson. It was the first head coaching dismissal of the 2025 National Women's Soccer League season.

Donaldson arrived in 2024, with the Stars coming off a last-place finish, and took Chicago to the playoffs by finishing eighth in the standings with a 10-14-2 record. After six matches in '25, the Stars were in last place with a 1–5 record when the team decided to remove Donaldson.

Chicago general manager Richard Feuz was seemingly transparent in a press conference last Thursday, and said the team wouldn't be rushing into a new hire and that there was "no timeline" for a replacement.

So, while we know the Stars will be patiently evaluating who should come next over the coming months, that doesn't mean we shouldn't start looking into who could arrive in Chicago. Here's a look at six potential candidates for the vacant Stars head coaching job.

Masaki Hemmi is serving as the Chicago Stars' interim coach. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Masaki Hemmi

Masaki Hemmi may not be the most adventurous choice, but the existing interim head coach, who was brought in by Donaldson in 2024, must be considered.

Look around the NWSL, and you will find multiple other interim-turned-permanent managers: Jimmy Coenraets (Utah Royals), Rob Gale (Portland Thorns), Sean Nahas (North Carolina Courage) and Seb Hines (Orlando Pride).

Hemmi has never been a head coach before, but has assistant coaching experience in the men's game in Japan (INAC Kobe) and the American USL Championship (New Mexico United), before joining the Stars in the NWSL.

It's too early to tell what kind of style he wants to build with the Stars. At the moment, he hasn't strayed too far from the Donaldson model. Although a few pressing tweaks could hint at more of an aggressive approach.

Orlando Pride assistant coach Yolanda Thomas (second from left) in the huddle with head coach Seb Hines (second from right). / Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Yolanda Thomas

Many in the industry feel like Orlando Pride assistant Yolanda Thomas is an elite head coach in waiting. She's long been a leader within the United Soccer Coaches organization, hosting coaching workshops and panels nationwide. She has also advocated for more opportunities to be given to mothers and Black coaches.

Thomas is a former player who rose to coaching prominence as an assistant in the college game at Oklahoma State and the University of Tulsa, before becoming the head coach of Roger State University. She was also the manager of WPSL clubs Tulsa SC and Fortuna Tulsa.

The transformation of the Pride into NWSL champions and one of the most elite teams in the league's history has come while Thomas was a key assistant working under Hines since 2023. She is known for her attention to detail and could offer world-class leadership and tactical communication.

Carmelina Moscato (third from left) has served as an assistant to her former teammate, Racing Louisville manager Bev Yanez. / EM Dash-Imagn Images

Carm Moscato

Racing Louisville assistant Carm Moscato is one of the more experienced assistants in the NWSL. She has twice been a head coach in the professional club game: First at FC Nordsjælland in Denmark for one season in 2021–22, then for two tournaments with Tigres UANL in Mexico from 2022 to 2023.

The former Canadian international joined Louisville as the first assistant in 2024 under head coach Bev Yanez. She had been in the conversation for other head coaching jobs within the NWSL but opted to join her former teammate in Kentucky.

Moscato's championship-winning Tigres team was full of verticality, wing-play and lots of impressive crossing. Racing is one of the more under-resourced teams in the NWSL, and Yanez and Moscato have kept the team more competitive than some would have thought. In particular, Moscato's work on set pieces has been laudable.

Laity (right) will serve as Angel City's interim coach until June. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Sam Laity

Sam Laity has almost 12 seasons of experience in the NWSL, with the majority of that coming as an assistant with the Seattle Reign from 2012 until 2022. Chicago could turn to Laity for a steady hand that understands the intense volatility of the NWSL.

His only permanent head coaching role was with the Houston Dash, where he lasted 18 regular-season matches before being let go by general manager Alex Singer. Laity had built a hard-working unit that conceded few goals but significantly struggled to create good chances and score. Instability and lack of infrastructure in Houston certainly didn't help him during his single season.

In 2025, Laity was given the interim position at Angel City to oversee the start of the season before the arrival of Alexander Straus from Bayern Munich in June. Laity has done an admirable job making a young Angel City team a thrilling attacking watch. They are lethal at breaking into the box in a flash.

Tommy Stroot

If the Stars opt for a coach from Europe, then Tommy Stroot may be up for consideration. The German recently resigned as the manager of Wolfsburg, having been with the club since 2021. The fact that Stroot is available to hire right away could be tempting.

During his time with Wolfsburg, Stroot won the German Frauen-Bundesliga once and the DFB-Pokal trophy three times. The team was also the runner-up of the 2022–23 UEFA Women's Champions League. He is a proven winner who has overseen an elite environment.

Stroot has had critics for his more direct style of play and Wolfsburg's decline over the past few years. Wolfsburg has lost three consecutive titles to Bayern Munich. However, the increased investment from Bayern while Wolfsburg stagnated could be seen as the reason. His development of young players like Sveindís Jónsdóttir and Lena Oberdorf will be viewed as another plus.

Sandrine Soubeyrand

Another European option could be Paris FC manager Sandrine Soubeyrand. Unlike Stroot, she is currently employed by the club and would need to be bought out. Soubeyrand has been with Paris since 2018, and is practically etched into the culture of the club at this point. There is a chance Soubeyrand wouldn't want to walk away from a project she has invested heavily in.

Over the past few years, Paris has risen to prominence as a disruptor amongst the French elite of Lyon and Paris St. Germain. Highlights include winning this year's Coupe de France against local rivals PSG, while also knocking Arsenal and Wolfsburg out of the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2023–24.

Soubeyrand has proven loyal to her players. There is trust that she can polish up stars like Clara Mateo, who leads the French Division 1 Feminine with 18 goals this season. This is a manager who has proven she can maximize what she is being given on a smaller budget, rather than demanding the most elite players available.