When the 72 players who took part in last weekend’s WPS West Coast Combine met for their mandatory meeting Thursday night, there were a lot of college sweatshirts in the crowd.

And one Boston Breakers windbreaker.

Perhaps she was trying to gain a mental edge over the mostly younger participants all vying to get drafted on Jan. 16. Perhaps she was trying to catch the attention of one of the seven coaching staffs in attendance. Whatever the motives for her clothing selection, the non-verbal message forward Sherice Anders presented was crystal clear.

She has been here before.

Anders, 31, is one of a handful of former WUSA players participating in the WUSA Combines. She may be a bit older than most of the other players, but she is confident her days as a professional are not over.

“I still have the desire to do it, and I still have the physical ability to do it,” Anders said. “I still enjoy competing at this level, a ton, and want to give back for all that soccer has given to me growing up.”

As that aforementioned meeting winded down, Anders chatted up another former WUSA player, midfielder Jen Lalor-Nielsen. These days, Lalor-Nielsen is the head coach of the girls’ varsity team at Poway High School. But it didn’t take long for the 34-year-old mother of two, who represented the United States in the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to show she’s still got some slick moves.

During a short-field drill Friday morning, Lalor-Nielsen used a quick step to beat her defender before slotting a shot inside the far post.

“I feel I still have it, and it’s something I want to prove to myself and my family,” said Lalor-Nielsen, who played for the New York Power and the San Diego Spirit. “I want to show my kids what it is that I do. I’ve been playing the game for 25 years, and it’s a huge part of my life.”

Another former U.S. Women’s National Team player, 28-year-old goalkeeper Jen Branam, played for the San Diego Spirit in 2003. University of Denver women’s assistant coach Katie Hooker was drafted by the Atlanta Beat before being traded to the San Jose CyberRays in 2003, back when she was known as Katie Antongiovanni.

Another familiar face in the crowd: Midfielder Keri Sanchez, 35, who is the current head coach of the women’s team at Claremont McKenna College. Sanchez has WUSA experience with San Jose and Boston.

“I thought I was going to feel (old) when I got here, but then there were some other girls that were older, who were already playing in the WUSA when I got there, and they showed up,” Branam said. “I was just like, man, these girls are older than I am, and they’re still out here doing it. I haven’t played in two years, and I’m stoked to be out here playing again.”

Two former WUSA players are participating in this weekend’s WPS East Coast Combine: Krista (Davey) Bobo, who played for the Washington Freedom in 2001 before suiting up for the New York Power in 2002 and 2003; and Monica Gonzalez, the former Mexican National Team captain who was a member of the Boston Breakers in 2002-2003.

Each of the players who has already experienced professional soccer has just one wish – to slip on a WPS jersey.

WPS Combine Participants who played in WUSA