Chicago Stars FC made a massive hire to lead the club's rebuild. Vlatko Andonovski, former USWNT head coach and winner of multiple NWSL titles and Coach of the Year honors, is Chicago Stars FC Chief Soccer Officer, the club announced on Thursday. Andonovski's arrival comes just days following his departure from Kansas City Current and Stars FC's elimination from NWSL playoff contention.
The new hire signals a clear statement amid a club restructuring in year three of new ownership led by Laura Ricketts. He'll be the club's first-ever CSO and will lead all technical and sporting strategies. "Joining the Chicago Stars was an easy decision after the conversations I had with ownership and leadership," Andonovski said.
"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 andstart pushing forward." Andonovski is an executive in a rare group.
He has been involved in league roles since the NWSL was founded and won two NWSL Championship titles with FC Kansas City, Kansas City Current's predecessor. Andonovski also won NWSL Coach of the Year honors in 2013 and 2019, and won the NWSL Shield title in 2025 with the Current. He also served as head coach of the U.S. women's national team after Jill Ellis' departure in 2019.
Under Andonovski's tenure, the program returned to the Olympic podium with an Olympic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but also faced a historic round-of-16 exit at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. While his time at the national team level left mixed results, there are few doubts about his NWSL pedigree. Kansas City Current announced Andonovski's dismissal as Sporting Director on Labor Day, without the fanfare of a celebrated release.
Ultimately, they offered 78 words wishing him well and no acknowledgment of his successes. Current and former players took to social media to celebrate his time in Kansas City where the club fell short of acknowledging that. KC Current players had plenty to say about Vlatko Andonovski’s impact on the club ❤️From setting the standard to building a winning culture, his players made sure his contributions wouldn’t go unnoticed following his departure from the club after mutually parting ways with KC. pic.twitter.com/73wPVG9gdf The former head coach is a prominent figure in Kansas City soccer, with ties to the area dating back to the early 2000s when he first coached the Kansas City Comets before taking over FC Kansas City in 2013.
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