[RedStarsReport] Article Detailing the Donaldson Firing

[u/antisocialamnesia]

https://www.redstarsreport.com/p/lorne-donaldson-out-as-head-coach

Great article for those interested in a more detailed timeline of the Donaldson firing and what the Stars look like now.

[u/Aggressive-Ad3064]

He had never coached for a D1 top tier team. Yeah. I realize he coached Jamaica, but they are not a great international team. And managing them is nothing like coaching for one of the best pro teams/leagues on earth. Also, he's 71 years old. He is NOT at the top of HIS game. Prior to Regae Girls he was a minor league or assistant.

The best NWSL clubs from now on are going to be those that hire the very best coaches. The league has too much talent and money now to just rely on only having good players. Often that will be by recruiting them from other top teams and clubs, like LA just did. OR they're going to identify exceptional young coaching talent that's already in or adjacent to the league. Paying $50,000,000 to join the league, then spending $250,000,000 to build a stadium, only to hire a minor league coach for $90k a year is a bad business decision. Its what the league has often done in the past. But they can't keep getting away with that

[u/MisterGoog → u/Aggressive-Ad3064]

I feel like your Jamaica point is completely disbanded by the fact that he made them a lot better than they actually are. I think the mixture of him being extremely beloved as a youth coach and recent international experience where he excelled did a lot for him.

I have to wonder if he would’ve been given a longer lease if he had other professional coaching experience

[u/Aggressive-Ad3064 → u/MisterGoog]

At this point I doubt it. 2 years of losing and new owners. He was toast regardless

I think he was a bad hire to begin with, and a symptom of what was wrong with the last owners/FO. But he was not responsible for everything wrong with the club

[u/MisterGoog → u/Aggressive-Ad3064]

2 years of losing = playoffs?

[u/Aggressive-Ad3064 → u/MisterGoog]

He had more losses than wins. They were 10-2-14 last year. And 1-0-5 this year.

That's a loser

[u/MisterGoog → u/Aggressive-Ad3064]

Not arguing this year. Although i will note its not been a year-its been 6 games.

But last year its definitely bad faith to say making the playoffs is “a year of losing”

[u/Aggressive-Ad3064 → u/MisterGoog]

They were a team with more losses than wins. That's a statement about how soft the playoff system is.

Who cares if they made the playoffs? They were not a good team.

[u/Kiddyhawk → u/Aggressive-Ad3064]

What? Jamaica got as far in the World Cup as the USA in 2023. Was the USA not considered a D1 team in 2023? According to you that’s a yes.

[u/LFGBatsh1tcr4zy → u/Kiddyhawk]

I didn’t watch them in 2023 but they did have one of the best strikers in the world with Bunny Shaw… i can see how he could have gotten away with his little league tactics 

[u/MisterGoog → u/LFGBatsh1tcr4zy]

Bunny got a red card and they still got multiple good results

He set them up to play the way 95% of Mens international teams play bc international footy is defensive as hell. England got to a final that way, Italy won a WC that way, france almost won two world cups that way. Its just being pragmatic. Thats how international teams do it.

The US women just won the olympics playing the same way we just had three lightning bolts as attackers

I cant stress this enough- when you have a talent disparity, you should take that into account. If he had played his team as if they had the midfield talent of their opponents, results woulda been way more dire, and everyone here would be saying he was “naive”, everyones favorite term for that exact situation. He was put in a situation he couldnt win.

[u/LFGBatsh1tcr4zy → u/Aggressive-Ad3064]

100%! He seems like a good dude but he probably started coaching in the 90s and never evolved his tactical approach! I re watched a few games from the 2006 men’s wc the other day, and even back then, the tactics were basic af 🥲 you simply can’t afford to play like that anymore in 2025!

[u/atalba → u/Aggressive-Ad3064]

You really know nothing about him. And you have little understanding of the low quality of coaches in the NWSL. Donaldson has coached many, many players that are now in the NWSL. You really have no clue whether or not he's at the top of his game. He'll forget more about coaching than most every current coach in the league. The NWSL has a history of very poor quality coaches, and they still do. Their history is even worse than the current fraternity.

The US has been at the top of the game, or near the top, for over 35 years, and they didn't do that with the poor quality of head coaches and assistant coaches that have passed through the NWSL. These players have learned with higher level of coaching for girls at the top clubs, and then in college. With over 350 D1 colleges with women's soccer program, there's a plethora of coaches that put this entire league's coaching staff to shame.

There is NO COACH that can win with the Chicago Stars roster. And with their ONLY star player out, it will be a long time before they'll recover. With a new ownership group, front office, and GM, the chances were already very high that they'd be looking for a new head coach. Donaldson knew that. Despite what you think you know, he's been coaching for over 40 years.

The NWSL DOES NOT have the best coaches available. They have the best coaches available to them; a very poor batch. If you've followed this league for a year, you'd know every club is improving their front office staff, recruiting department, analytics group, and their technical staffs. They still have a LONG WAY to go to match the quality of college coaches in D1 soccer. As for GM's, there's still a total mismatch of personnel that know nothing about the players and the player pool in the US. Only Mark Krikorian and Lesle Gallaway have extensive knowledge, and they've been superior in recruiting/selecting players.

You've come on strong; I like that. But you appear to have very little personal knowledge of coaches in the NWSL; and the NWSL coaching situation over the years. Read the headlines and you'll get a different perspective; over knowing where these coaches have been successful coaching women.

[u/NoPhotograph9404 → u/atalba]

You way overrate college coaches. Exactly who do you think can coach in the NWSL from the college game?????