The Chicago Stars have sent German international Kathrin Hendrich back to the Bundesliga. Landing the veteran defender at FC Köln, the move marks one of the higher-profile NWSL transfers of the summer window.
Hendrich, capped more than 90 times by Germany, signed a two-year deal through 2028 with her new club. She's the first active DFB national-team player Köln has ever added.
"I’d like to thank everyone who made my time in Chicago special," Hendrich said. "I am grateful to our fans for their support, and to my coaches, teammates, and club staff for the opportunity to be a part of this team and for allowing me to pursue this opportunity back home in Europe."
Kathrin Hendrich Made a Lasting Impact on Chicago Stars FC
The defender's Chicago run was short but steady.
She arrived last June after five seasons at Wolfsburg. Then she made her NWSL debut August 1st, 2025 against Gotham FC. Down the stretch that year, she started 12 games in 13 appearances. This season, she captained the Stars four times and started eight of her 10 outings.
"Kathy is an outstanding player and a great person, and we wish her the best in her next chapter as she returns to Germany," club president Karen Leetzow said, adding that another center back signing is expected soon.
Chicago's focus now shifts to Sunday's Pride Night against Bay FC. Kickoff is at 7 PM ET on NWSL+.
The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 locked in the semifinals over the weekend, with world No. 2 Spain, No. 3 Germany, No. 5 England, and No. 13 Italy all advancing past fierce quarterfinals to secure a spot in the tournament's final four.
The only quarterfinal decided by more than one goal was Spain's 2-0 Friday victory over No. 23 Switzerland, while Italy's 2-1 thriller against No. 16 Norway narrowly avoided extra time last week.
Both England's Thursday battle with No. 6 Sweden and Germany's Saturday clash with No. 10 France needed seven rounds of penalties to determine a winner, with the prevailing nations mounting steep comebacks to punch their semifinal tickets.
"I really had a sense throughout the game, even when we were down, that it wasn't our time to go," England defender Esme Morgan said of her team's poise after falling behind 2-0 early in the match.
Penalty kicks have remained a hot topic throughout this year's tournament, with players converting just 24 of 41 attempts across the competition so far — a well below-average rate of 58.5%.
With a combined nine missed penalties on Thursday, England and Sweden's 36% conversion marked the worst rate in Women's Euro history.
Also making unflattering tournament history this weekend was Germany, who became the first Women's Euro team on record to register a comeback win after seeing a player sent off, following defender Kathrin Hendrich's 13th-minute straight red card offense.
How to watch the 2025 Euro semifinals
The 2025 Euro semifinals begin with England facing Italy on Tuesday before Germany takes on Spain on Wednesday.
Both matches kick off at 3 PM ET on their respective days, with live coverage on Fox.