Rhea Moore, who recently became the youngest goal scorer in US women’s soccer, moved across the country to join Dallas’ first professional women’s soccer team. Yet she’s still very much a teenager finding her footing.

When I saw that one of Dallas Trinity FC’s new players had scored seven minutes into her first game, I was impressed. When I saw she was 15 years old, I became fascinated—how does a teen from California sign a deal with a professional soccer team and a Texas team, no less? Doesn’t she have school in the morning? 

I know many of sports’ most decorated athletes started their professional careers young—tennis’ Serena Williams was 14, golf’s Michelle Wie was 16, and nearly every famous gymnast began their pro careers before they finished high school. But even in knowing this, it doesn’t make the accomplishment any less monumental. 

I had to talk to Rhea Moore, the footballer who moved to North Texas to play with women nearly twice her age. Would I meet a shy teenager who doesn’t have it all figured out or a confident starlet preparing for domination? I think I got both.

The forward made headlines not only for her debut performance, but for being the youngest woman goal scorer in United States professional soccer history. 

“I surprised myself,” Moore said about her historic goal. “I can’t even look back now and remember what I was thinking. I just know I was super happy.”

Local media outlets picked up Moore’s historic moment, as well as the New York Times. She’d talk to reporters over the phone, but no one in person yet.

I wanted facetime with the newbie, so I met Moore after a Trinity practice one day in September. The upper 80s temperature of the morning had long burned off, and it was hot on the field—one sunny sliver of The Hockaday School’s 88-acre campus. Dallas’ first women’s pro soccer team had found a home at the 112-year-old all-girls prep school built to develop leaders. It felt fitting.

After sweating on the sidelines for a bit, I found a shady spot near the back of the athletic fields, watching players sludge over after practice to dunk themselves in recovery ice baths. As soon as Moore walked over for our interview, a fire alarm blared throughout the school grounds. Not exactly the perfect time for an emergency drill, but it turned out to be a good way to break the formality and get to know each other without the pressure of a rolling camera.

Moore is the middle child between two brothers—she joked that for girls, that really makes you the oldest. Both of her parents were Division 1 athletes—her mother in soccer and her father in baseball. The family was living in Sacramento before Dallas became a possibility. Moore was playing club soccer and considered a top prospect for her class. Her agent pitched her to the Trinity’s general manager, she officially joined the team in July, and by mid-September, had only been home to California once. Now her family splits time—balancing homeschooling and an apartment in Dallas with life back in Sacramento where her younger brother is still in school. 

It’s all planned out

Moore can tell she’s not in a junior league anymore.

“It’s definitely more mature,” she told me. “On the field it’s strict and important, and off the field it’s fun and normal, just hanging out.”

Veterans teammates have advised her to take care of her body while coaches remind Moore to have fun, even if every day isn’t her best performance. 

“They said ‘work hard and results will come,’ and I think that’s stuck with me,” she said.

Photo Courtesy of Dallas Trinity FC

Moore recently committed to playing college soccer at the University of Southern California after she graduates from high school in 2027. That’s two years away, with a four-year committment—Moore’s life is more planned out than most kids her age. (Than most adults, even.) 

I was curious about why she decided to go pro now when that option would be there after college, but this high-achiever is all about being prepared. She knows her experience with Trinity will make her college transition that much smoother. 

Plus, Moore said, she wants to study elementary education to become a third grade teacher.

I asked what her goals were for the future—at the rate she’s going her bucket list might be empty by the time she can buy a beer. But she answered without hesitation: “I think just becoming a better person and growing as a person rather than a player.” 

A normal (and chill) girl

Moore may have moved halfway across the country, but she doesn’t seem fazed. She keeps up with her friends back home, and said it’s all about making the time. 

She lit up when talking about her favorite show  “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” the Amazon Prime teen drama that’s become one of the platform’s most-watched. After practice, she unwinds with TV and sampling Mexican food around DFW—though she admits nothing has quite matched California’s yet. 

If she had to go pro in another sport, she’d pick tennis. Her reasoning? “I’m good at it.” At this point, I get the impression that Moore may be good at a lot of things. With a playful smile, she admits she’s competitive. I then remember that I’m talking to a Libra—people with this star sign are said to love a friendly rivalry and thrive on being underestimated. 

But Moore also comes from a competitive family. They bond by dominating a nearby ping pong table or battling each other in card games. I know right away I wouldn’t survive a game of UNO with the Moores.

As for role models, Moore said she looks up to Serena Williams. In soccer, she rattles off a list of heroes, including Zambian forward Barbra Banda, who went pro in boxing at 14, before switching to soccer at 18.

And because I was hanging out with a teen who’s more in touch with social media trends than I could ever be, I had to ask about Labubus: Moore cringed at the idea of dressing one  in a soccer uniform. She said she’d rather give it a “chill” outfit—I took this to mean sweatpants. That’s pretty chill.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Trinity FC

Enjoying the moment

Before Moore can think about breaking any more records, she’s got a few milestones to check off—like making it to the State Fair of Texas to try some of its famously strange foods. 

She’s also got to get ready for her Sweet 16 in early October. Moore’s hoping for a house party back in Sacramento. We agreed it would be a little weird if her adult teammates showed up, but that they might have chaperone potential. 

But that’s the push and pull of Rhea Moore’s life. It’s full of changes, commitments, and adult decisions, yet she’s still very much a teenager going with the flow. She said her life feels “in alignment,” a pretty grand concept many people can’t figure out until they’re much older. Moore is mature—she knows what she likes (an over-easy egg) and knows what she’s good at—but she’s not too cool to admit she’s still becoming herself. 

“I’m trying to figure out what I want to bring into the world and what I want to show people,” she said. 

Just as we’re wrapping up our conversation, Moore’s grandmother calls, wondering where she is—it’s been almost an hour since practice ended. I walk Moore to the parking lot where her grandmother pulls up in an SUV. I introduce myself and comment on her exemplary care in making sure her granddaughter gets where she needs to go. She looks at me frankly and says she watches too many documentaries to not keep tabs on her—she has to keep her safe. 

I think we all do. 

Dallas Trinity FC’s next home game is Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Cotton Bowl.