Born out of the success of the 1999 World Cup, the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first women’s professional league in the US, formed in 2000 and played its inaugural season in 2001. The league consisted of 8 teams in cities across the US and featured many well-known players from the US team, as well as a collection of top international players. Unfortunately, after just three seasons the league folded in 2003, days before the start of the 2003 World Cup.