Former Utah Royals head coach Craig Harrington was found to have been employed by a Chicago youth soccer club as director of coaching despite being in the midst of a two-year NWSL suspension for inappropriate conduct and sexual comments made to players. The club, Chicago Empire FC, was a youth affiliate club of the Chicago Red Stars until 2021 and has ties to Michelle Lomnicki, who was the NWSL club’s general manager until she was fired on Friday morning.
The Chicago Red Stars board of managers issued a statement which announced the termination of Lomnicki as general manager “after learning about a lapse in judgment to not share important information with club leadership.”
According to a Red Stars source briefed on the matter not authorized to speak publicly, the NWSL team was unaware of Harrington’s role with Empire FC until contacted by the NWSL’s legal team and felt the trust had been broken with Lomnicki.
“The board determined that it is in the best interest of the players, staff and organization to part ways at this time.”
A statement from the Chicago Red Stars Board of Managers: pic.twitter.com/gknxR9kJuT
— Chicago Red Stars (@chicagoredstars) May 5, 2023
Harrington’s relationship with Chicago Empire FC extends back to the 2019 NWSL season. The youth…
