{{short description|American former soccer player}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Jacqui Little | image = | fullname = Jacqueline Elise Little<ref name="WUSA"/> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|3|10}} | birth_place = Heerlen, Netherlands<ref name="WUSA">{{cite web |title=24 - Jacqui Little |url=http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/players/jacqui_little/ |publisher=Women's United Soccer Association |access-date=16 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031028084033/http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/players/jacqui_little/ |archive-date=28 October 2003}}</ref> | height = 5ft 3in<ref name="WUSA" /> | position = Forward | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthclubs1 = Valley United | youthyears1 = 1993–1996 | collegeyears1 = 1996–1999 | college1 = Santa Clara Broncos | collegecaps1 = | collegegoals1 = | clubs1 = Bay Area CyberRays | years1 = 2001 | caps1 = 15 <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals1 = 1 | clubs2 = Washington Freedom | years2 = 2002–2003 | caps2 = 40 <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals2 = 5 | totalcaps = | totalgoals = | nationalteam1 = | nationalyears1 = | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = }}
'''Jacqueline Elise Little''' (formerly '''Rimando'''; born March 10, 1978) is an American former professional soccer player. A fast forward, she played for Bay Area CyberRays and Washington Freedom of Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) and trained with the senior United States women's national soccer team. She played in the WUSA championship game in all three seasons of the league's existence and won the WUSA title on two occasions with her two different clubs.
==Playing career==
===College=== Little attended Santa Clara University and played college soccer. She graduated in 1999 with a degree in sociology. With the Broncos, Little reached the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship Final Four in each of her seasons with the team. She was appointed to the University's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jacqui Little '00 |url=https://www.scu.edu/athletics/broncobench/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-inductees/little-jacqui/little-00.html |publisher=Santa Clara University |access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref>
===Club===
Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first official professional women's soccer league in the United States, began in 2001. Little was a sixth-round draft pick (41st overall in the global draft) by the Bay Area CyberRays. In 2001, Little started three of her 15 regular season appearances, contributing a goal and two assists.<ref name="WUSA" /> She made a brief appearance in the 2001 WUSA Founders Cup as the CyberRays secured the inaugural championship.
In November 2001 Washington Freedom traded their Brazilian forward Pretinha to the CyberRays for Little and a third round draft pick. In Washington, Little joined her twin Skylar Little, who was already on the Freedom roster.<ref>{{cite news |title=Freedom Trade Pretinha to CyberRays |url=https://apnews.com/article/d91c19fa2f157916bb049a659c0e6ace |access-date=16 May 2021 |publisher=Associated Press |date=14 November 2001}}</ref>
In 2002, Little started 12 of her 20 regular season appearances, scoring three goals as the Freedom improved their seventh-place finish in 2001 to third in 2002. She featured in the championship game but the Freedom lost 3–2 to Carolina Courage. Freedom coach Jim Gabarra praised Little's performances as an impact substitute: "Jacqui really accepted her role of coming off the bench well and provided a spark last year."<ref name="WUSA" />
Ahead of the 2003 WUSA season, Little kept fit in the off-season but also enjoyed some time away from soccer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Truman |first1=Tim |title=Washington's Little Twin Powers |url=http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/players/skylar_little/344703.html |access-date=16 May 2021 |publisher=Women's United Soccer Association |date=4 March 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030928045207/http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/players/skylar_little/344703.html |archive-date=28 September 2003}}</ref> Another successful campaign saw Little start 19 of 20 regular season games and play in the 2003 WUSA Founders Cup win.<ref name="WUSA" />
===International=== In July 2005 Little was called into a senior United States women's national soccer team training camp in Carson, California.<ref>{{cite news |title=Four Former Broncos Invited To National Team Camp |url=https://wccsports.com/news/2005/7/17/Four_Former_Broncos_Invited_To_National_Team_Camp.aspx?path=wsoc |access-date=16 May 2021 |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=17 July 2005}}</ref>
==Personal life== Little and her identical twin Skylar Little were born in the Netherlands, but grew up playing soccer in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. Skylar, a defender, played college soccer with UCLA Bruins, while forward Jacqui elected to move further afield with Santa Clara.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Payne |first1=Dave |title=Little Sisters Propel Freedom |url=http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/players/skylar_little/355114.html |access-date=16 May 2021 |publisher=Women's United Soccer Association |date=21 April 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030928044906/http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/players/skylar_little/355114.html |archive-date=28 September 2003}}</ref>
In the 1999 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, Jacqui's Broncos team beat Skylar's Bruins 7–0. Skylar was drafted by the Washington Freedom and faced Jacqui's Bay Area CyberRays in WUSA's inaugural match, which the Freedom won 1–0.
After the collapse of WUSA, Little took an office job with Reico Kitchen & Bath. Although she liked the job she was sad to no longer be a professional soccer player: "The fact that I was sitting at a desk instead of doing what I love to do, it just hit me like a ton of bricks."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Steinberg |first1=Dan |title=Coping With the Loss of Freedom |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2004/06/13/coping-with-the-loss-of-freedom/88175a3f-9ca7-4d4e-85de-96835386e26e/ |access-date=16 May 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=13 June 2004}}</ref>
In December 2005, Little married her longtime boyfriend, Nick Rimando. He played for the United States men's national soccer team as a goalkeeper and is also from California. The wedding was performed by Rimando's teammate Ben Olsen in Malibu, California.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20051215&content_id=49510&vkey=news_dcu&fext=.jsp&team=dcu |title=Behind the Badge: Triple threat |publisher=DCUnited.com |date=December 15, 2005 |access-date=March 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061025141854/http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20051215&content_id=49510&vkey=news_dcu&fext=.jsp&team=dcu |archive-date=October 25, 2006 }}</ref> Rimando and Little have two children, Jett Nicholas Rimando and Benny Rose Rimando.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kutv.com/news/features/person-2-person/stories/vid_3.shtml |title=KUTV 2News "Person 2 Person: Nick Rimando" |date=June 9, 2013 |work=KUTV 2News Utah |access-date=July 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807220723/http://kutv.com/news/features/person-2-person/stories/vid_3.shtml |archive-date=August 7, 2013 }}</ref> In 2016 she was living in Salt Lake City, and has since divorced Rimando.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Parker |first1=Kevin |title=The WUSA Washington Freedom 15 Years On: Where are they now? |url=https://www.allwhitekit.com/?p=14928 |access-date=16 May 2021 |publisher=All White Kit |date=14 April 2016}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20031028084033/http://www.wusa.com/players_coaches/players/jacqui_little/ Profile] at Women's United Soccer Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Jacqui}} Category:Living people Category:1978 births Category:American women's soccer players Category:21st-century American sportswomen Category:Santa Clara Broncos women's soccer players Category:Women's United Soccer Association players Category:Soccer players from Los Angeles Category:Washington Freedom (soccer) players Category:Women's association football defenders Category:San Jose CyberRays players