The Chicago Stars have fired general manager Richard Feuz amid another difficult start to the National Women's Soccer League season.
"What we hope for in a league like this is to be competitive," Stars president Karen Leetzow told reporters on Wednesday. "You want to be in playoff contention all the time.
"But at the very least, you need to have a compelling product on the pitch. I don't think we have either this year. And that is not for lack of trying. That's why we are disappointed with the outcome and why we decided to make the change that we made today."
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Chicago is 15th in the standings of the 16-team NWSL about one-third of the way through the season, with nine points from 11 games. Chicago's minus-17 goal difference is by far the worst in the league.
Feuz was hired in February 2024, when the Stars made the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
But the Stars have largely struggled on and off the field in recent years. They finished in last place in 2025 and spent most of the season playing under multiple interim coaches.
The team has gone 17-36-14 (W-L-D) in all competitions during Feuz's time as general manager.
Feuz and the Stars fired previous head coach Lorne Donaldson early in 2025 after a difficult start to the season.
They hired former Norway women's national team manager Martin Sjögren as Chicago's new head coach in August, although Sjögren did not officially coach his first game until 2026 as he finished up his previous job in Sweden.
Chicago opened the 2026 season with a 4-0 loss to Angel City in Los Angeles. The Stars lost 4-0 to the North Carolina Courage on May 16.
"It sucks, more or less, I can say that," Sjögren said after that match, adding that he was searching for answers.
Leetzow said that "right now, we're confident in Martin and Martin's process," and "we feel good about the coaches we have."
One silver lining has been the recent return of forward Mallory Swanson from maternity leave.
Swanson debuted in that May 16 game and then scored the game-winning goal for Chicago on Sunday against Bay FC, which had just been reduced to nine players after enduring a second red card.
Leetzow said that she and assistant general manager Beatrice Caliani are among those who will handle GM duties by committee in the interim.
Leetzow did not put a timetable on when a new GM hire would be made. She said that the search has begun and the Stars are "looking for somebody with experience, maybe a little gray hair, who can bring that maturity to the organization that we need."
The NWSL's transfer window opens on July 14. Many conversations, especially with out-of-contract international players, typically begin well before then. The NWSL's free agency signing window also opens on July 1.
Leetzow said the Stars are "also deep in those conversations" around the transfer window and that she feels "confident" that the team can make moves during the summer.
Feuz took a Moneyball approach to building Chicago's roster, frequently stressing the need for responsible spending. Feuz appeared to be employing that approach on behalf of ownership during his tenure. On Wednesday, Leetzow refuted the idea that there was ever a limit on player spending.
"Richard had a theory of the case that he pursued," she said. "We've obviously been disappointed on how that played out. But at the end of the day, he has the [salary] cap and whatever he needs to get this team to the right place."