Vanessa DiBernardo

DiBernardo was raised in Naperville, Illinois, where she attended Waubonsie Valley High School and helped lead the soccer team to state championship wins in 2007, 2008, and 2010. In 2009, she was named to the ESPN Rise All-American Third Team and earned Beacon News Girls Soccer Player of the Year and Chicago Sun-Times All-Area honors. IHSSCA Illinois Player of the Year, and was ranked fifty-first in the country for high school seniors by Top Drawer Soccer. ==College career==

University of Illinois As a freshman in 2010, DiBernardo led the Big Ten Conference in goals and points and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. During her sophomore year, she led her team with 17 goals Despite missing a portion of her junior season due to the 2012 U-20 World Cup, DiBernardo still led the Illini in points, goals, and shots. Unable to play the full season again due to a knee injury which kept her out for seven games, she tallied seven goals in 15 games and had a career high seven assists. In 2014, she was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which recognizes one male and one female student from the graduating class of each Big Ten member school, for demonstrating joint athletic and academic excellence throughout their college career. ==Club career==

Chicago Red Eleven In 2008, DiBernardo played for the Chicago Red Eleven in the W-League. She previously played for Red Stars' head coach Rory Dames with the Red Stars' WPSL team in 2011 and with the Chicago Eclipse Select in 2012–2013. Of her and Julie Johnston's signing, Coach Dames said, "In Julie and Vanessa, we picked up the best holding midfielder and the best attacking midfielder in the draft. They will form the spine of our team down the middle for years to come. With both of them having the experience of winning the U20 World Cup, they are both proven winners at the highest level." In her rookie season DiBernardo appeared in 23 out of 24 matches and scored 1 goal and provided 3 assists. In 2015 DiBernardo played in all 21 matches for the Red Stars, she scored 2 goals and provide 5 assists, and was voted by fans as the team Unsung Hero. The Red Stars finished the season in 2nd place and qualified for the play-offs for the first time. Chicago lost to FC Kansas City 3–0 in the semi-final. DiBernardo once again played in every match for Chicago in 2016. She provided 7 assists in 2016 which led the team and was the second highest in the league. Chicago once again qualified for the play-offs but lost the semi-final in extra time to the Washington Spirit. In 2017 DiBernardo appeared in 21 games and scored 3 goals. Chicago was eliminated in the semi-finals for the third straight season. She returned to the field on June 17 against the Portland Thorns. DiBernardo appeared in 12 games in 2018 and scored 2 goals. She was named to the NWSL Best XI for the month of August. DiBernardo logged significant playing time in 2019, starting 20 regular season matches and all of Chicago's playoff matches on their run to the 2019 NWSL Championship final, where they fell 0–4 to the North Carolina Courage. In July, she won another monthly NWSL Best XI award. In 2021, DiBernardo started in the NWSL Championship final for the third straight year with the Red Stars, but her game was cut short by a 12th-minute injury. Chicago fell short again, losing 1–2 to the Washington Spirit. DiBernardo was named team captain of the Red Stars for the 2022 season. She was named NWSL Player of the Month in September. She returned to Perth for the 2016–17 season and scored 6 goals in 14 games. Perth advanced to the 2017 Grand Final but lost to Melbourne City 2–0. She made her debut for Kansas City on April 15, 2023. She scored a goal and had an assist in a 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup match against her former Chicago Red Stars team on June 14, 2023. DiBernardo joined the Kansas City Current as a free agent in December 2022, signing a two-year contract. She would be placed on the Season Ending Injury list before the final match of the regular season. Vanessa DiBernardo scored the first-ever goal at CPKC Stadium on opening day of the 2024 season. Her goal helped propel the Kansas City Current to a 5–4 victory over Portland Thorns FC. ==International career==

DiBernardo has represented the United States at the under-20 and under-23 levels. The team later defeated Germany 1–0 to clinch the championship. In August 2013, DiBernardo was called up to the senior national team camp ahead of a friendly match against Mexico on September 3 while still in college. She did not end up playing in the match. In December 2019, DiBernardo was called up for a training camp with the senior national team. ==Personal life==

DiBernardo's father Angelo competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics and other international matches as a member of the USA men's national soccer team; they are the only father/daughter relationship among soccer players that have represented the USA. Her father was born in Argentina of Italian descent, so she would be eligible to play for either country's national team. DiBernardo married Andy Miltonberger in December 2021 and announced that she was pregnant in July 2025. ==Honors==

Kansas City Current • NWSL Shield: 2025 • NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: 2024 United States U20 • CONCACAF U-20 Women's Championship: 2012 • FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: 2012 Individual • NWSL Second XI: 2016, 2024 ==See also==