In 1997, Melissa Moore thought her career as an elite soccer player was at an end. She had completed a fine career at the University of New Mexico, where she started every game of her career, and had trained with the U.S. National Team, but the 1996 Olympics were over and there was no high-level league for her to play in.

So Moore concentrated on earning a masters degree in athletic administration from Illinois State and played a little bit of club soccer.

But in 2001 the WUSA came along, and Moore’s life underwent a dramatic transformation. After going to training camp with the league's San Diego franchise, Moore wound up on the other side of the country with the Philadelphia Charge. After missing most of the first half of the league's inaugural season because of an injury, Moore took over as the starting goalkeeper and has been a fixture in that spot ever since. As the league concludes its second season, the 27-year old Moore has established herself as one of the key components of a stellar defensive unit. And the more she’s played the better she’s gotten.

"I've been able to get into a rhythm," Moore said. "I’ve been able to figure out how to play with the defense. It’s definitely an edge for us, the repetition of us playing together game after game."

Growing up in Southern California, Moore was an all-around athlete, competing in volleyball, badminton, track and swimming in addition to soccer. She feels that playing a variety of sports has helped her develop as a goalkeeper.

"I definitely think that if you’re (a one-sport athlete) you're not going to be as agile as if you’d been (a multi-sport athlete)," Moore said. "With basketball you use your hands, with volleyball you use your feet, in tennis you cut, and all those sports kind of jell into just being a well-rounded athlete."

Being versatile also kept Moore mentally refreshed as opposed to focusing on soccer year-round. "It gives you a break from soccer," she said. "Soccer’s mentally exhausting, especially at this level."

‘This level’ is something that didn’t exist two years ago. Moore takes pride in being a pioneer, not just in an athletic sense, but as a role model for young girls, who can someday think about playing soccer for a living, something that Moore herself did not have the luxury of doing. "Four years before the league even started I was out of college," she said. "There was no real idea in my mind that I would ever be a professional soccer player, there was no option for it, but I definitely think it’s an awesome thing for girls to strive for."

A woman with a sense of history, Moore is looking forward to sharing her experiences in the WUSA with her own children one day. "That's going to be one of the great thrills of my life," she said, "being able to share that I was able to do this and hopefully be a role model for my daughter or son.

"You hope in your mind that the league is still around and they would say ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that you played in this league,’ but if not, at least you save your stuff or you try and write things down in your journal about games you’d like to share with your kids. I think if I were to find out my mom did this I would just be floored. It would be awesome. That’s the greatest thing. I can’t wait for that."