With the 2023 World Cup kicking off in New Zealand and Australia, longtime U.S. women’s national team forward Carli Lloyd will not be on the field for the Americans.
That’s because Lloyd has been retired for nearly two years.
Lloyd, who played in four World Cups and helped the U.S. win two of them – as she was part of the championship squads in 2015 and 2019 – called it quits and hung up her cleats for good in November 2021. She scored her final goal for the national team in a friendly against Paraguay in Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2021.
A month before that, Lloyd scored twice in the USWNT’s bronze medal match win over Australia at the Olympics.
At the time of her retirement, Lloyd was 39 and wrapped up one of the most decorated careers of any women’s soccer player. Her accomplishments include:
- The first woman to ever score three goals in a FIFA World Cup Final.
- The first player to ever score in six straight World Cup matches.
- The oldest player to ever score for the U.S. women’s national team.
- The USWNT’s third-all-time leading scorer.
- Is second all-time in caps for the U.S.
- Is fifth all-time in assists for the U.S.
- At the time of her retirement, was one of just four international women’s soccer players to play more than 300 times for her country.
- A two-time winner of the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year (2015 and 2016).
- Is one of nine USWNT players to score five goals in a single match.
- Scored the most goals for the U.S. at the Olympics with 10.
Lloyd played in four World Cups and four Olympics for the Americans. In 316 games wearing the stars-and-stripes, she scored 134 goals and dished out 64 assists.
As good as Lloyd was, she could also be a bit of a frustrating player and vocal when things didn’t go her way. She famously only started in one match during the USWNT’s run in the 2019 World Cup, and later gave several interviews about how much that “absolutely sucked” despite the Americans winning the sport’s highest crown for the second straight time.
She’s also never been shy about clapping back at those who criticize or disagree with her.
But there’s no denying Lloyd’s talent on the soccer pitch – or even the football field, where she’s drilled 55-yard field goals. Her try at a baseball pitch wasn’t terrible either.
Lloyd wowed people on the soccer turf during her time with the national team, gaining fans from Tiger Woods to Barack Obama.
Most of us will always remember her hat trick in the 2015 World Cup Final though, particularly that strike from midfield in the 16th minute that sailed over Japan’s keeper before nestling up against the back of the net, putting the USWNT ahead 4-0 and essentially securing their victory.
July 5th, 2015
Carli Lloyd completes a hat-trick on a spectacular shot from midfield as the USWNT defeats Japan in the 2015 FIFA World Cup! #CarliLloyd #GoosebumpSports #FIFA #WorldCup #USWNT #USA #Japan #football #soccer #sports pic.twitter.com/RerRY1UPq5— Goosebump Sports (@GoosebumpSports) July 13, 2022
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