Jenna Winnebrenner is back! Today, we spoke with her to find out more about her path to the pros, her pre-game superstitions, and why she chose Dallas Trinity FC.
Q: Tell me about your soccer journey up until this point.
A: I started playing soccer when I was three, I have an older brother who is four years older than me and he was already playing, so I was always at the field and my parents said “let’s just throw her in she is already here” so I never played rec soccer I went straight to competitive. I played with a boy’s team until I was in 8th grade, I played soccer all the way through high school and was a multi-sport athlete and then I played soccer at Notre Dame for four years and got my degree there. I was able to take my 5th year because of COVID and I transferred to TCU. From TCU I was drafted to Kansas City in 2021, and that is hometown for me, I was able to go home and play in front of my friends and family again. I played there for two years, and then I was picked up by The North Carolina Courage where I was for about 8 months before coming to Dallas.
Q: Why did you choose Dallas Trinity FC?
A: I wanted to come back to Dallas I think Dallas is a really special place. I was in Fort Worth for 6 months and I loved it. I love the people, I love the way they rally around their sports teams.
Q: What do you think makes this team special?
A: We have a lot of players from different backgrounds and so we have a lot to learn from each other. Every person on the teams brings value and different experiences and the way we can share those and learn and put them together to put a product out on the field, and I think we will continue to grow as we continue to learn from each other.
Q: What is your favorite soccer memory?
A: My favorite soccer memory so far is being drafted to my hometown team at Kanas City and being able to play in front of my friends and family and playing for the community that gave so much to me and helped me grow my career. Being able to go back and serve the community as a professional player and be a role model for the young girls which is something I needed at a young age, was really cool.”
Who is your biggest inspiration?
A: My brother. He was a soccer athlete until high school and then he walked on at the University of Missouri to become a track athlete, by the end of his time there he was team captain and on scholarship. I have always looked up to him and tried to make him proud, and I think that has gotten me to where I am in life, especially in soccer.
Q: What advice do you have for someone who wants to play professional soccer?
A: The opportunity is there, especially with the new league, there are teams and there is a need for players. Find something that makes you valuable and excel at it, my dad always told me without struggle there is no progress, so you are going to struggle but it is about how you get through those things that matters. Another thing is to find something that other people do not want to do, I am right-footed, but I play on the left side because no one wanted to play on the left side growing up, you have to find a way to make yourself irreplaceable.