Jeff Caschell
Chicago has appointed former head coach of the Norwegian women’s national team, Martin Sjogren, to lead their squad, as confirmed by multiple sources to ESPN.
Reports indicate that Sjogren is expected to join the team before the start of the 2026 NWSL season in January, while still coaching Hammerby, a leading women’s soccer team in Sweden.
The Swedish league wraps up in November, shortly before the NWSL Championship, with Hammerby set to participate in the UEFA Women’s Champions League play-in round later this month.
Currently, Chicago sits at 13th place out of 14 teams in the NWSL with 11 matches left in their season. Interim coach Elamasar has taken charge of the team as its third coach this season.
Lorne Donaldson was let go in late April after leading the team to the playoffs the previous season. Assistant coach Masaki Hemy stepped in temporarily but exited in early July to become the head coach of Lexington SC in the USL Super League.
Sjogren has significant coaching experience, notably leading Norway’s women’s national team from 2016 to 2022. His tenure included two European Championships where Norway did not progress past the group stage, leading to his resignation post-2022 tournament.
Since taking over Hammerby in January 2024, Sjogren led them to a third-place finish in the league, and they participated in the UEFA Women’s Champions League preliminaries.
This season, Chicago has struggled significantly, winning just one of 15 games and is only two points ahead of the Utah Royals, who are at the bottom of the NWSL standings.
Fan Take: The hiring of Martin Sjogren has the potential to revitalize a struggling Chicago team and brings a wealth of international experience to the NWSL. For soccer fans, this shift could signal a new era of competitiveness in the league, particularly as the women’s game continues to gain prominence worldwide.
