How setbacks have strengthened Red Stars defender Tatumn Milazzo

Only in her fourth season with the Red Stars, defender Tatumn Milazzo has experienced plenty during her professional career.

The Orland Park native has played under three Red Stars coaches and gone through the turmoil of the end of the Arnim Whisler-Rory Dames era. Despite joining Red Stars in 2021, only Alyssa Naeher and Mallory Swanson have been with the club longer.

“I’ve seen a lot of stuff. There’s been a lot of change,” Milazzo said. “When I came in is when the [NWSL] expansion started, so a lot of players were leaving. Then with the last couple years with all the coaches we’ve had, looking back I’m just really appreciative of the last four years because so many things have been thrown at me. I feel like I have really good perspective of how to move now and how I want to be treated as a teammate and how I want to treat my teammates to get the best out of all of us.”

Milazzo’s ability to turn setbacks into positives dates back to college, when she tore her ACL late in her 2019 senior year at South Carolina. The injury jeopardized her career, and forced Milazzo to decide whether she wanted to push on in soccer or leave the sport behind.

The choice to play, Milazzo said, gave her perspective on how to better handle impediments. Now when there’s obstacles, Milazzo doesn’t take them personally but instead views them as lessons.

“That situation has definitely helped because of some of the outcomes I’ve had,” Milazzo said. “Speaking positively really brings positive experiences. I really try to continue to do that because it’s worked for me so far.”

Even with that outlook, Milazzo needed and relished the camaraderie she’s developed with her teammates. That was especially needed as the Red Stars went through their tribulations that rocked the franchise.

Milazzo attributed getting through that period to her teammates.

“Through every challenge, there’s always one person, if not 10 different people you can reach out to if you need anything,” Milazzo said. “Alyssa has been such a rock for us. Being able to be so close with her and such good friends with her and watch her every day. Just feeling secure with the people around me, my friends and the relationships I’ve built with girls on the team, has been the most important because without that it would’ve been very hard to deal with all of these things that a lot of us have never experienced before.”

Thanks to her outlook and supporting teammates, Milazzo has persevered. She earned an NWSL Best XI second team nod in 2022 and has been a steady part of the Red Stars’ back line this season despite not starting the first three games of the year.

Now one of the club’s veterans, Milazzo sees it as her responsibility to be a secure person for her teammates and influence others with her outlook.

“I do feel like I have a lot of experience in different things now,” Milazzo said.