USWNT’s Lloyd announces retirement at end of year

Carli Lloyd, arguably the best big-game player in U.S. soccer history, announced her retirement from international competition Monday following a 17-year career in which she was twice named FIFA world player of the year.

Lloyd, 39, also won two Olympic gold medals — delivering the winning goal in both finals — and two World Cup titles. During this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, Lloyd scored twice in the third-place game to give the U.S. a bronze medal.

Lloyd will play the remainder of the NWSL season with NJ/NY Gotham FC as well as in the anticipated four-game fall series for the national team before stepping aside completely. Details for the fall series matches have not been announced by U.S. Soccer. She’ll go into those final four international games with 312 caps, second all-time behind Kristine Lilly’s 354.

How impactful was Lloyd? The U.S. lost just 17 of the 312 games she played in.

She also scored 128 goals, tied for fifth all-time — that’s all-time for men and women — while her 64 career assists are sixth-best all-time for the U.S.

Lloyd went to Tokyo saying she was undecided about retirement. But she hinted strongly during the tournament that a decision had already been made.

“I’m not going to lie. I miss having a normal life,” she said. “I miss home, my family, friends. This is what you sacrifice every four years, every five years. It’s all part of it.

“Eventually, it comes to an end. So just try to savor every moment.”

Lloyd recently reconciled with her family after a decade of estrangement and said making up for that lost time figured in this decision. Lloyd, who married five years ago, also said she wants to start a family.