Red Stars' Weissenhofer feeling at home

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Michele Weissenhofer is the definition of homegrown -- a local product from Naperville, Ill., a collegiate athlete a short trek away at Notre Dame, and now a professional soccer player for the Chicago Red Stars of Women’s Professional Soccer.

And she is loving every minute of her professional experience.

“How could I not be happier being able to wake up every morning and play the game I love and actually get paid for it?” Weissenhofer said.

But long before Weissenhofer became a pro, she firmly planted her soccer roots in the soccer fields sprawled out across the Chicagoland area. Weissenhofer played youth soccer locally for the Eclipse Select soccer club along with current Red Stars teammate and Geneva, Ill., native Jackie Santacaterina.

The familiarity of having local players she grew up playing with in the Red Stars training sessions is something Weissenhofer appreciates as she continues her transition into professional soccer in Chicago.

“It’s so much fun to be able to play with [Santacaterina] again, and we do know our tendencies obviously more than others because we’ve played together for such a long time,” Weissenhofer said. “I think it allows us to improve our individual games together, and we work hard at that.”

Read more at ChicagoRedStars.com.