INTO THE WINDY CITY: Stars name Andonovski Chief Soccer Officer - RAW CHILI

Overview:

Chicago Stars FC on Thursday announced that it has added Vlatko Andonovski as Chief Soccer Officer.

Bringing a wealth of experience as a sporting director, multiple-time NWSL coach of the year and champion, NWSL Shield winner, and U.S. women’s national team head coach, Andonovski will lead all technical and sporting initiatives at the club.

“As we’ve navigated our club’s challenges, ownership and executive leadership has been steadfast in their understanding that any future head of our sporting initiatives must be a proven winner with a thorough understanding of this league, it’s mechanisms and standards, and what it takes to be a serious contender for titles,” Chicago Stars FC president Karen Leetzow said in a statement. “Vlatko brings demonstrated experience in each of those areas, and we’re looking forward to his impact as we continue to build, expand our sporting structure, and bring this club up to the level of our ambitions.”

Andonovski will oversee all sporting efforts at the club, including working closely with the head coach on roster building, on-field strategy, scouting, transfers, and player development. The Stars will soon add leadership positions reporting to Andonovski across its sporting ranks as the club finalizes a structural rebuild.

“Joining the Chicago Stars was an easy decision after the conversations I had with ownership and leadership,” Andonovski said in a statement. “We had the opportunity to talk in depth about the direction of this club, their vision, and values. Everything I heard aligns with the way I believe the game should be played and what the club needs to be successful. One of the things that excites me the most about this club is there is so much opportunity, and I can’t wait to be around the staff and players and start pushing forward.”

One of the most successful coaches in NWSL history, Andonovski joins the Stars after spending the past several years with Kansas City Current, where he ushered in a transformative era for the club after joining in late 2023 as head coach and sporting director. During his tenure, he brought the club from a second-to-last finish in the NWSL standings prior to his arrival to a 16-3-7 record the following season in 2024, finishing fourth on the table and advancing to the NWSL semifinals. Andonovski’s squad also won the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup that year.

In Andonovski’s second year at the helm, he led Kansas City to the club’s first-ever NWSL Shield, becoming the fastest team in history to win the title while remaining undefeated at home and setting NWSL regular-season records for points (65), wins (21), home wins (11), away wins (10), clean sheets (16), consecutive shutout minutes (869), consecutive shutouts (9), shutouts at home (8), multi-goal wins (15), multi-goal games (18), fewest minutes trailing (109) and fewest goals conceded (13).

Andonovski’s club coaching career includes successful periods with FC Kansas City (2013-2017), where he won back-to-back NWSL championships in 2014 and 2015, as well as Seattle Reign FC (2018-2019) where he reached the NWSL playoff semifinals in both seasons at the helm, and early stints as assistant and head coach with the Missouri Comets in the Major Arena Soccer League. Andonovski earned NWSL Coach of the Year honors in 2013 and 2019.

At the international level, Andonovski guided the USWNT to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, winning the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in 2022 along the way while also securing the team’s qualification to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Andonovski led the USWNT to a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and won four consecutive SheBelieves Cup titles from 2020-2023.