Alyse LaHue joined the Chicago Red Stars eight years ago as an intern under Peter Wilt and then-GM Marcia McDermott. Through the better part of a decade, through four leagues, through tumultuous seasons and staff turnovers, LaHue made the organization her life and eventually rose to become the new General Manager, where she's steered the club through the early years of the NWSL era with grace and aplomb.

Which must have made her announcement earlier today all the more difficult.

LaHue wrote on her blog that she would be leaving the Red Stars at the end of this season.

I have a lifetime of fond memories of coworkers, fans, and so many friends I’ve made along the way. I think we all could write an incredibly long anthology of short stories, essays and lessons learned from this journey! Most of my days were filled with extreme gratitude that somehow my path led me to the greatest job on earth. Every day felt purposeful, like we were(are) doing something really important on a much deeper level than just the excitement of a gameday. This will be one of my fondest relationships, with its immense joy and the really dark days on the other side that are inevitable. More poetically "never easy, always interesting!"

LaHue made it clear that her departure was not a reflection on the organization and that she leaves the club "in the best position it has ever been, thanks to an incredibly determined and hardworking staff, along with the fans that have been here since day 1 and the new fans we welcome in daily."

The Red Stars return from the Olympic break this Saturday when they travel east to face Sky Blue FC. Depending on how their last few games in the season go, LaHue's last game as head of the organization will either be CRS' home fixture against the Washington Spirit on September 24th, or sometime in October when their playoff run ends, possibly with the lifting of the NWSL Championship.