Japanese Mataka Hayashi Joins Chicago Stars

Japanese footballer Mataka Hayashi announced on Thursday her move to the U.S. club Chicago Stars.

The captain of Japan’s U-20 women’s national team signed a three-year contract with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team.

In an official statement, Hayashi said: “I am very excited to join this club. I thank everyone who made this move possible, and I look forward to meeting my teammates, the coaching staff, and the fans, as well as achieving victories with this team.”

Hayashi led Japan’s U-19 team to victory in the 2023 AFC U-19 Women’s Championship and secured second place with the U-20 team in both the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and the 2024 AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup in Uzbekistan.

Originally from Hyogo Prefecture, Hayashi is no stranger to playing in the United States, having competed at the collegiate level with the Santa Clara Broncos in 2024, according to the official website of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

During her first season with Santa Clara, Hayashi started all nine matches she played, recording 10 shots over 719 minutes of game time.