The Chicago Red Stars have spent much of the 2024 season doing their best to forget all the disastrous situations that had them at the bottom of the NWSL’s table in 2023.
Richard Feuz was hired to help revitalize a club that had just finished dead-last in the NWSL after a season where they conceded 50 goals, 14 more than the next closest team.
It’s not like Feuz joined a bare cabinet of an organization.
USWNT stars Mallory Swanson and Alyssa Naeher remained the club’s headliners after the disastrous 2023 campaign while ownership brought in Lorne Donaldson to be the head coach after his successful stint with the Jamaican Women’s National Team.
So Feuz was brought in after his successful stint at Servette in Switzerland, first running their women’s team before operating as the Swiss club’s CEO and then departing for his role with the Red Stars. It became apparent that he needed to fix things from the ground up, a process he knows will take time.
“When I first arrived, my expectation was just see what we had and get this culture back,” Feuz told On Tap Sports Net in the days leading up to the NWSL’s secondary transfer window closing. “Because we can talk about tactics, we can talk about data, we can talk about many things. The best thing to bring back the culture is to win.
“And we knew last season the team conceded a lot of goals. So we decided, I have my methodology, I know exactly what I want this team to play in the upcoming years. But we also had first to make sure we're more solid. We didn't want to concede that many goals. So that’s basically what we worked on.”
Feuz came into a front office that already had many established voices in it even before Lorne Donaldson was brought in. Assistant general manager Babett Peter is one of the few holdovers from the previous regime and helped the new general manager’s transition from Servette.
“I had a chance to have a great team around me. Babett [Peter] first of all, then Lorne [Donaldson]. People come from different places in the world. I’ve always believed that soccer is something global and that the only way to succeed is to mix and blend culture, even if something could be challenging because everyone has a different opinion, a different experience.
“And at the end of the day, no one is right or wrong in soccer. Everyone has their opinion, and you just have to take the responsibility. “
Feuz has had to adjust on the fly as he’s transitioned from the European game to the NWSL’s structure. The calendar and roster rules are different, making the roster-building process a bit more difficult. An academy system down the line would be ideal in Feuz’s mind for long-term roster building throughout the NWSL.
“I think we have something maybe a bit more difficult to handle here in the US, is that we don't have an academy…
“When you have an academy, you may have a 22-player roster, a 23-player roster but then the rest of your players are still playing with the U-23. with the U-21, with the second team. That's not the case here.”
His philosophy has been tested already as the Red Stars have dealt with a few major injuries, most notably losing starting center back Sam Staab to a season-ending injury in July. Many expected the Red Stars to add some depth to their backline ahead of the August 30 Transfer Deadline but Feuz believed Chicago already had what they needed.
“At the end of the day we know we have quality in the roster. So when I say I don't want to just jump on the market, we have a player that we're following that’s a main target, we're going to go for it.
“I don't want to just add another human being to this team just to add some because I truly believe we have the players that some of them didn't have, maybe the game that they deserve. That's obviously what some can think when they don't play. But in the end, I think we have a coaching staff who are doing well. The team played one the first and did great to wrestle in the first half of the season. So I think the coaching staff did the recharge so it's also difficult to change.
“But then when you have an injury, I’m always someone who thinks you have to first look at what you have before you go on the market and that's what we're doing. That's why we decided to go [that direction]. So I'm not saying it won't happen until the end, because we also know those last two days can be crazy. But we’re happy with what we have now.”
The Red Stars made international headlines this summer when they acquired Julia Grosso and Ludmila, each of whom has excelled at the top levels of club and international soccer. Getting them to sign with Chicago has given the front office confidence that the world is seeing growth in the organization.
“What made me happy is when I asked my players and my staff if they felt great and they said yes ... I think that brings pressure too, because you're bringing players that know what the highest standard is, but we have to take it up. Our goal is to strive for the highest standard in the world and not only in this league, even if we want this league to be the best in the world.
Feuz knows he can sell players on living in Chicago but there is the additional challenge of ensuring the organization will also continue that individual’s development as well.
“And at the end of the day, I think it's a challenge even for us to make sure those players can come here, still adapt here, feel happy in Chicago. I have no doubt they’ll love the city because I did.
“I think there’s been pressure too. But I am not someone always thinking ‘Okay, what kind of level can we bring?’ First focus is my people, staff and that they're happy here. Then if we decide we need something to try to make the team more, I don't like the term ‘trying to make the team better,’ we try to complete the team with other kinds of skills that we maybe don't have at the moment.”
The NWSL and NWSLPA made headlines in the summer when they agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that would extend through the 2030 season. Eliminating the NWSL Draft, increasing the salary cap and guaranteed contracts are among the items in the new agreement, which was a logical step according to Feuz.
“When you see the numbers, when you see the salary, the minimum salary, when you see all those conditions. I've been involved in women's soccer for almost 10 years. If you had told me 10 years ago in Switzerland, that one league in the world would pay this player this amount, I would tell you, ‘are you joking?’ I'm not saying we don't have to keep pushing to get more and more for them, and more and more, not only salary, but work conditions, facilities, all those things.”
“I think that's a great thing. I'm happy that, to be honest with you, trading without asking the opinion of the player, a semi-guaranteed contract [are gone]. All those kinds of things were, for me because I'm coming from another culture, something crazy because I believe players are the reason we have this game.
“So for sure we have the responsibility to make some decisions because we're the clubs, we're the important organization, but we need to have the players at the table. So I'm really happy. Just to make it short, I'm happy about the CBA.”
Feuz has made it clear that he wants the Red Stars and the NWSL as a whole to be seen as standard-bearers in women’s soccer. That will require adjustments in the next CBA as well as at the NWSL league offices.
“For sure we're gonna have some different discussions, we're gonna have to improve things. Nothing is perfect, like in every single new thing. But I think it's good to have a vision for five years, it's good to have that. And I'm really proud. I know the league is trying to develop as soon as possible.”
Fortunately for Feuz, he has one very familiar face in the NWSL office as he looks to continue to build on the league’s positive momentum.
“I have a good, really good relationship because as you can imagine, I’ve known [NWSL Chief Soccer Officer] Tatjana [Haenmi] for years. She used to be my rival when she was the president of Zurich, then she was the boss of Swiss Women's Football. So we had a good experience together for some challenges because we're not always agreeing on everything.
“But that's what I like. I like you to work and talk with people that are not agreeing with me all the time. That's the way to go forward. So I think they're doing a great job. We have some challenges for sure, but in every single project that you try to develop, you have challenges.”
*Look out for part two of Joe Chatz’s interview with Richard Feuz next week at On Tap Sports Net*
What’s On Tap Next?
The Red Stars are heading out west to take on the Portland Thorns on Friday. The match is scheduled to kick off at 9:00 PM CT (get your caffeinated beverage ready) and will air on Prime Video.
Follow @soccer_ontap on X for more Chicago Red Stars news and updates!
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