Chicago Red Stars midfielder, Julia Bianchi, will join the Brazilian Women’s National Team for their upcoming friendly matches against Japan and Nicaragua in Brazil.  

This will be Bianchi’s second time joining Brazil’s national team this year. The midfielder’s first call-up came back in February when she joined the team for the annual SheBelieves Cup. In that tournament, Bianchi started for Brazil in the opening match against Japan, which the team won, 0-1. Bianchi’s experience with Brazil’s national team includes 12 games played and one goal, which she scored in the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. The Brazilian also spent time with the Under-20 and Under-17 national teams.  

In her first season with the Chicago Red Stars, and in the National Women’s Soccer League, Bianchi played in 19 matches, made 15 starts and recorded five assists for the club, which was the second highest assist total in the league. While Bianchi didn’t score in the regular season, the Brazilian national did score in the Red Stars’ friendly match against the Mexican Women’s National Team. In the 40th minute of the match, Bianchi stepped up to take the corner kick for the Red Stars, but instead of finding one of her teammates, Bianchi’s strike curved the ball past the goalkeeper and straight into the net. Following her impressive first season with the Red Stars, Bianchi’s teammates and the club supporters named the midfielder the Red Stars’ Newcommer of the Year for 2023.  

Bianchi and the Brazilian Women’s National Team take on Japan in a pair of matches November 30 and December 3, then take on Nicaragua December 6, which will be the first meeting between Nicaragua and Brazil.