After spending her entire professional soccer career with the Chicago Stars, Orland Park native Tatumn Milazzo is heading west.
On Jan. 13, Milazzo signed a two-year deal with Utah Royals FC after the Stars declined an option in her contract in December.
The 26-year-old Milazzo spent her first four NWSL seasons with the Stars and made 70 appearances as a defender. She made 171 tackles, 115 interceptions and scored four goals.
“Tatumn is an excellent defender who has won various individual awards for her accomplishments with Chicago,” Utah Sporting Director Kelly Cousins said in a news release. “We are excited to welcome her to the club and are eager to see her impact on and off the field.”
Even though her playing time was reduced in 2024, Milazzo was the second non-goalie in NWSL history to win back-to-back Save of the Week honors in April.
Stars, Fire moves
The Stars, a current fulltime tenant of SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, and Chicago Fire, which makes appearances there when there are conflicts with their home stadium (Soldier Field) are making moves.
Fire fans are crossing their fingers the team can sign 32-year-old Brazilian star Neymar even though soccer skeptics say his best years are behind him because of injuries.
Multiple reports say he is involved in preliminary negotiations with the Fire.
Meanwhile, the Fire acquired 19-year-old Portuguese defender Leonardo Barroso from Sporting CP and his contract will run through 2028 with a club option in 2029. They also signed 25-year-old defender Sam Rogers from Lillestrom SK through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028.
The Fire II team acquired midfielder Sam Williams for 2025 with an option for 2026. The 19-year-old played with the New York Red Bulls Academy and played 2,000 minutes in 2022.
The Stars re-signed forward Sarah Griffith, who has been with the team since 2022 but has seen limited action. She scored the game-winning goal against Washington July 31 in the NWSL x Liga MX x Femenil Summer Cup.
They also signed midfielder Manaka Hayashi, who was a captain on the Japanese Under-20 Youth National Team.
Also in Stars news, decorated goalie Alyssa Naeher was named U.S. Soccer’s 2024 Female Player of the Year. She has retired from international play but still plans on minding the net for the Stars.
Regional royalty
Oak Lawn and Shepard’s boys bowling teams each claimed regional championships on Jan. 17.
Oak Lawn won the Reavis Regional at Palos Lanes with a six-game pinfall of 6,472 as senior Gavin Rybicki led the way with a 1,440 series. It was just Oak Lawn’s fourth regional title, but the Spartans have won six sectionals and qualified for the state finals 11 times.
Mount Carmel senior Alberto Rodriguez was the individual champ with a 1,452.
Mount Carmel, Hancock and Reavis were the other three area teams to qualify for the Andrew Sectional, which takes place at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Thunder Bowl in Mokena.
Shepard won the Stagg Regional, also at Palos Lanes, with a 6,124 with sophomore Liam McGrury leading the way with a 1,345. It’s the first postseason championship for the Astros.
Brother Rice senior Jeremy Gasca won the individual championship with a 1,438.
Brother Rice, Sandburg and Evergreen Park also advanced to the Andrew Sectional.
Malachuk to be a Mule
Four-year Nazareth quarterback Logan Malachuk committed to Central Missouri, a Division II school that finished 9-3 and won the Heritage Bowl.
He should feel at home with the offense as the Mules averaged 526 yards on offense per game in 2024 including 394 passing yards per game.
Malachuk started four years for the Roadrunners, helped them win three state championships and threw for 11,184 career yards, which is the most by an IHSA quarterback.
Where is the logic?
St. Xavier’s women’s basketball team shot a season-high 58.1% from the field on Jan. 18 and lost 84-80 to Olivet Nazarene in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in Bourbonnais.
Shortly after that, the men’s team took the floor and shot a season-low 36.6% and pulled off a 79-72 victory over the Tigers.
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