Martin Sjögren, former Norway head coach, hired by Chicago Stars FC – Equalizer Soccer

Judit Cartiel/SPP

Hammarby IF head coach Martin Sjögren is expected to be named the next permanent head coach of Chicago Stars FC, per reporting at ESPN. Sjögren will join Chicago in January after the conclusion of the 2025 Damallsvenskan season.

Sjögren, 48, has been Hammarby gaffer since January 2024. Before then, he was head coach of the Norway women’s national team from 2016 to 2022.

Sjögren will be the fifth head coach at the Stars since the firing of Rory Dames in November 2021 amid abuse allegations. Interim head coach Ella Masar will remain in her post until the end of the current National Women’s Soccer League season.

The Swedish Sjögren is best known for his years with Norway, where the side failed to advance from the group stage at UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 and 2022. Norway also lost their quarterfinal match against England at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, and failed to qualify for the 2021 Olympics during Sjögren’s tenure.

Sjögren presided over a turbulent period of Norway’s history, with star Ada Hegerberg leaving the national team for nearly five years after their disappointing Euro 2017 exit. There had been suggestion at the time that Sjögren was at least a small part of her reasons for stepping away.

More recently, Hammarby finished third in the 2024 Damallsvenskan during Sjögren’s first year in charge. They qualified for the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying stage as a result, and managed to advance to the group stage, where they finished third in their group, losing both games each to FC Barcelona and Manchester city.

The Stars fired Lorne Donaldson in April, after new owner Laura Ricketts and team president Karen Leetzow hired him less than 18 months before. Assistant coach Masaki Hemmi served as an interim for two months before departing for the head coaching job with USL Super League club Lexington SC. Masar was then named interim.

The Stars currently sit 13th in the NWSL table, having earned eight points from 15 matches.