The Chicago Red Stars play their home games at Benedictine University in Lisle, perhaps the most soccer friendly and soccer-crazed part of Chicagoland. Their roster boasts five players with Chicago area connections, three of which are tied to the very same area where the Stars are located. It’s a chance for the franchise to adeptly market itself and rise out of obscurity.
They’re a western suburban franchise with a roster that has lots of ties to the Western suburbs.
It all starts with Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo, who hails from Naperville.
“Naperville is a very good soccer area for young kids to grow up in, and there’s many different clubs and areas where you can get involved,” said DiBernardo,the fourth pick of the 2014 National Women’s Soccer League draft. “This league is newer and it’s creating a path for those younger players. We know that we [have to do that] for them to be able to be here later.” (h/t Matt Le Cren, Beacon News)
DiBernardo played high school soccer at neighboring Waubonsie Valley, where her father, Angelo was a soccer Coach. She led her prep team to three state championships, then starred at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she became the school’s all time leader in assists. So she’s kind of like the Deron Williams or Dee Brown of Illini women’s soccer.
If there’s any one single part of the world that feeds into the UI more than any other, it’s the western suburbs of Chicago; especially Naperville. Chicago Red Stars defender Jackie Santacaterina also went to the University of Illinois, and hails from the area (Geneva, IL).
In the Naperville Sun, Vanessa talked about getting to play at home:
“I got lucky to be able to play for Chicago and play so close to home,” DiBernardo said. “It’s been nice and I’m glad I’ve been able to help the team in the role that I have and I’m just looking to continue to get better.”
Red Stars midfielder Lori Chalupny coached the boys team at Waubonsie Valley. Julianne Stich, from nearby Oswego, also went to the University of Illinois.
Her father, Richard never misses a Chicago Red Stars game.
Last night the Chicago Red Stars defeated previously unbeaten and first place Seattle 1-0. They scored on U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper, and worst ever possible role model Hope Solo. The Red Stars are sitting just outside playoff position with the Portland Thorns, led by international superstar Alex Morgan, (the actual face of American women’s soccer and a true role model for young women) just a point off the pace.
They drew against Morgan and Portland on Wednesday and face them again on Thursday.
With Americans having World Cup fever, and all the local connections, the Chicago Red Stars need to seize on these opportunities to create a buzz about their team and gain relevancy in the market.
“It’s great to play in front of friends and family, people who have supported me since I was little, following me around, following my career,” Stitch said.
“Especially my Dad, he’s my #1 fan.”
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! The Postgame. He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, the History Channel and more. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)