2024 Chicago Red Stars in Review: Maxi Rall

The 2024 Chicago Red Stars needed to add many pieces after finishing dead last in the NWSL in 2023, but not all of those players made enough of an impact to remain with the club long-term.

Maxi Rall joined Chicago in January after two and a half seasons with Bayern Munich on a one-year deal with a mutual option for the 2025 campaign and slotted in as a starter early on for head coach Lorne Donaldson.

Rall told On Tap Sports Net in May that she joined Chicago because she wanted to try something different after spending the entirety of her professional career in Germany. So she made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean with her dog Basmati, though it was only for one season with Chicago.

Everything started off wonderfully for Rall with the Red Stars as she scored the match-winning goal in their 2024 home-opening 2-1 win over Seattle Reign, but that was her lone goal contribution. She ended up only making nine appearances (all starts) in Chicago due to injuries and by the time she returned to the lineup, Taylor Malham had locked down the right back spot.

Rall’s 2025 option was declined so she'll be elsewhere next season. She's still an incredibly helpful player to have on a squad but she would benefit from a league that doesn’t feature the same speed that the NWSL has in its ranks.