Those who might think a year away from world-class soccer means life's been all peace and tranquility and slow-paced relaxation have it wrong. Not when the void has been filled with studying at chiropractic college in St. Louis, job hunting for her future and training like a maniac every day to stay somewhere close to game shape.

So snacking on chips and beer while watching The Bachelor and sleeping in until noon?Uh, not so much.

"I wish I'd had some time to relax on the couch," Melissa Tancredi laughs.

To say her dance card has been a little full since we last saw her suiting up for Team Canada would be a bit of an understatement. It's been busy. Yet even that frantic schedule seemed like a light jog compared to the last week or so when she jumped onto a moving sidewalk that's going 100 kilometres an hour.

Just days into the new year, the Ancaster native was picked up by the expansion Houston Dash of the professional National Women's Soccer League. As an allocated player, she'll be competing in the league while Soccer Canada pays part of her salary.

The fact is, the 32-year-old star was only available because she'd taken that year-long soccer sabbatical to complete her schooling. Otherwise, she'd have already been in the league.

The opportunity to join Houston was outstanding. The team had drafted well, was going to be playing in a great facility and had ownership that included boxing legend Oscar de la Hoya. Plus, she couldn't wait to get back on the field. Sitting out hadn't been easy for the two-time World Cup participant, two-time Olympian, all-American at Notre Dame, European and North American pro, and last year's Golden Horseshoe Athlete of the Year. Not being around her teammates had made it worse.

"It was very hard for me, I'm not going to lie" she says. "I went through withdrawal."

Excited as she was to come back though, this situation posed a slight dilemma. Not long ago she'd landed a plum chiropractic internship in Chicago. She'd really wanted to take it and had to give an answer soon, but commuting from Texas to Illinois wasn't going to happen. So she was preparing to say thanks but no thanks.

"I was really bummed about it," she says.