At last, the Chicago Stars were finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. After enduring a poor start to the 2025 NWSL campaign with three consecutive defeats, the Illinois-based club opened their winning account in yesterday’s clash against Bay FC. In fact, luck seemed to have smiled on them quite generously, as the victory also marked a significant personal milestone for club icon Alyssa Naeher. However, instead of basking in her own achievement, the veteran goalkeeper was left more impressed by one of her teammate’s goal celebrations.

Brazilian veteran Ludmila is the protagonist here, ladies and gentlemen. The 30-year-old forward scored a brace at PayPal Stadium, helping her side with the crucial three points. But what garnered more eyeballs was her celebration of the first goal she scored within six minutes. An efficient pass saw her dribble past the rival goalie and put the ball over an unguarded goal line. And as the ball seamlessly rolled into the net, Ludmila took a short run-up to perform an impressive acrobatic backflip.

While the fans and her teammates must have been mesmerized by both her goal and the celebration, Alyssa Naeher was rather taken aback by the latter. “I had more of a reaction to the backflip than I did to the goal itself,” admitted the 36-year-old during her latest chat on The Attacking Third podcast. “The goal I see all the time. Usually, she’s scoring on me in training. So it’s nice to see her score on the other side.”

Though the previous clash against Racing Louisville saw Chicago endure a narrow defeat at home, Naeher still praised the former Atletico Madrid star for stepping up big. Be it pushing the line or driving the team forward, the energy she showed in the last 10-15 minutes of that game brought a whole new sense of life and spark to the side. “She’s such a dynamic player; she’s such a passionate player,” emphasized Alyssa.

Further heaping praise on the former São José and Portuguesa star, the USWNT veteran added, “To see her chasing balls down, finish the way she did it, again, just to see the personality of it too, that’s a great thing for her. It’s something that any little thing that you can do to kind of rally a team and rally people around you I think you saw all these miles from Ludmila, none of us really expected it. But, just kind of makes that a little bit more galvanizing for the group.”

Notably, Ludmila’s celebration was on the verge of going into vain as the official gave her a potential scare with a VAR check. However, the goal stood, only boosting Brazilian striker’s confidence to push more buttons on Bay FC. Though she added another before halftime, she could have nailed a hat-trick had it not for the couple of chances she missed. Meanwhile, Bay FC denied the Stars a clean sheet as they capitalized on the 58th minute penalty.

Either way, it’s great to see how Ludmila was not only able to guide her side to a much-needed win but also earned praise from her club’s icon. Speaking of which, we might as well discuss what Naeher has achieved.

Alyssa Naeher can’t stop even at 36!

The Chicago Red Stars’ No. 1 continues to elevate her game, even after calling it quits from her senior role with the U.S. Women’s National Team last year. Fittingly, her latest milestone arrived in the same match that saw her side secure a much-needed victory. With an impressive tally of 71, the veteran goalkeeper now holds the record for the most regular-season wins by any shot-stopper in NWSL history — a number that makes the achievement all the more extraordinary.

Yet, what remains a concerning fact is that she is still chasing her first clean sheet in the NWSL. So far, she has conceded over 10 goals in just four league appearances, with the tally inflated by a series of tough defeats — including a 6-0 thrashing against Orlando Pride, a narrow 2-1 loss to Houston Dash, and a close defeat in the previous match against Racing Louisville.

Regardless, let’s hope it changes for Alyssa Naeher.