April 12, 2001
by Jeff Gross
Allsport
Jacqui and Skylar Little are one of four sets of identical twins competing in the WUSA, but they will be the only pair to share something that the others won't: playing in the WUSA's Inaugural Game.
Jacqui's Bay Area CyberRays take on Skylar's Washington Freedom on Apr. 14 in Washington, D.C.
"My dad loves it," Skylar Little said of the match-up. "He wants the shirt, he wants the CyberRays hat, a Freedom sweatshirt. He wants to have all the gear on but he doesn't care who wins. He just wants us to play well. My mom's a little skeptical...She likes it because she can see both of us at the same time, but she'd rather have us never play each other and not have it made a big media deal."
Although the sisters say they both are looking forward to being a part of WUSA history by playing against each other in the Inaugural Game, there were times not too long ago when that face-off had its wrenching moments.
"We only played against each other in college," said Jacqui Little of the other times their teams were at opposite ends on the same playing field. "It was our senior year, quarterfinals, and one of us was going to end the other's college career. I played for Santa Clara and we beat UCLA.
"It was bittersweet," Jacqui added. "It was horrible because she was one of the only players on her team in the end who was giving her heart and soul to try to keep the goals out....And I'm trying to be excited because my team was moving on, but I was more bummed to see her react to what was going on."
Still, neither sister predicts an incident as gut wrenching in the WUSA, and they look forward to playing against each other.
"We're fine with it," Skylar said of the rivalry. "We're excited but we're not competitive, so I'm not looking to beat her up."
Jacqui has a similar take, and said of her sister: "She's my best friend."