Michelle Wenino dribbles past Wallis Young during the CU v. Baylor soccer game in 2008. Wenino will now be continuing her dream with the German Club. (CU Independent File Photo/Jason Suder)
An opportunity to play in Europe, among countless renowned soccer clubs, is a career goal for many athletes of the beautiful game.
Former Buff Michelle Wenino reached this goal after a European club reached out to her.
After a short stint with the developmental team of the Chicago Red Stars of Women’s Professional Soccer, Wenino will head overseas to join SC Freiburg of Germany’s female Bundesliga.
Wenino was contacted by the German club, which was searching for a defender. She said in a news release that she decided “to take them up on the offer of a lifetime.”
“I want to be able to develop as a player every day and gain as much as I can out of the experience,” Wenino said in a news release. “Most of the girls playing in professional leagues have played in many countries and gained the experiences, and I have not had that opportunity until now.”
Wenino is now part of a very selective group of American professional female soccer athletes who are members of a European club.
How selective?
Of the 39 professional female athletes in the US women’s full national soccer team pool, of which Wenino is not a part, only one, Ali Krieger, plays for a European club. Coincidently, her club is also German.
Her transition to German professional soccer arrives more than a month after Nikki Marshall, the Buffs all-time leading scorer and former teammate of Wenino, turned pro after being drafted by the Washington Freedom of the WPS.
CU soccer head coach Bill Hempen said Wenino will benefit from the experience in Europe.
“Training is one thing but playing allows for game speed growth,” Hempen said in a news release, referring to Wenino’s stint in the developmental team.
Wenino played one game as a Chicago Red Star, a large shift from her playtime at CU, where she participated in 85 games and started in 81.
A walk-on freshman, Wenino was a team captain by her senior year. She ended her career as a Buff with two first team All-Big 12 conference selections, an NCAA second-team All-Central Region selection, and the 2008 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Wenino said in a news release that the trip may not be permanent.
“I really wanted to go somewhere I could play in games and gain confidence on the field,” Wenino said. “This way I can eventually come back to play in the WPS.”
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Esteban L. Hernandez at Esteban.hernandez@colorado.edu.
