Skylar Martine Meinhardt (née Little; born March 10, 1978) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a right‑back. She competed in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) for the Washington Freedom and was a training‑camp member of the senior United States women’s national team.
Early life and education
Little was born in Heerlen, Netherlands, and grew up in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she played for the UCLA Bruins women's soccer team from 1996 to 1999, making 84 appearances and providing five assists.
Professional career
In the 2000 WUSA global draft, Little was selected in the fourth round (26th overall) by the Washington Freedom. She made her professional debut in 2001, appearing in 20 regular‑season matches and starting 19 of them. During the 2002 season she started all 20 regular‑season games, scoring one goal as the Freedom finished third and reached the championship match, which they lost 3–2 to the Carolina Courage. After knee surgery in the off‑season preceding the 2003 campaign, Little returned to start every regular‑season game that year and participated in the 2003 WUSA Founders Cup victory.
Following the dissolution of the WUSA after the 2003 season, Little pursued employment outside of professional sports, including work with a temporary‑staffing agency and later a sales position at Wolf Designs in Southern California.
Personal life
Little is the identical twin sister of former professional soccer forward Jacqui Little. The sisters were both born in the Netherlands but developed their football careers in the United States. In 2016, under her married name Meinhardt, she resided in Westchester, Los Angeles, and was reported to have three children.
See also
- Washington Freedom (soccer)
- Women’s United Soccer Association
This entry is based on publicly available biographical information from the English‑language Wikipedia article “Skylar Little.”