World Cup, Olympic standout Lloyd announces retirement
American soccer player Carli Lloyd is retiring after a decorated career that included two World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals, as well as a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.
The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year known for her hat trick in the 2015 World Cup final will play four as-yet unannounced friendly matches this fall with the U.S. and finish out the season with her club team, Gotham FC. Lloyd, 39, hinted for more than a year that she was nearing the end of her career and made it official Monday.
“My journey has been hard, but I can honestly say I’ve stayed true to myself, to my teammates, my coaches, the media and the fans throughout my entire career and that is what I am most proud of,” said Lloyd, whose international career has spanned some 16 years. “Everyone sees the moments of glory, but I have cherished the work behind the scenes and the adversity that I’ve had to overcome to get to those glorious moments.”
Lloyd scored two goals in the United States’ 4-3 victory over Australia in the bronzemedal game in Japan this month. She became the first American to score in four different Olympics, and her 10 total goals in the event set a record among U.S. players.
She ranks second on the national team’s all-time list with 312 appearances, and fourth with 128 goals.
Lloyd is probably best known for her three goals, all in the space of 16 minutes, to lead the United States to a 5-2 victory over Japan in the 2015 World Cup final. Her third goal in that match was a blistering strike from midfield.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lloyd scored in overtime in a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final. Four years later, she scored both goals in the goldmedal match against Japan at Wembley Stadium, becoming the only player to score winning goals in consecutive Olympic finals.
When the Olympics were pushed back a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Lloyd underwent a knee procedure and worked her way back under a new trainer. She also took advantage of the downtime to reconnect with her family, from whom she’d been estranged for much of her career.
“We will all have a lot more time to spend together now, and especially with my husband Brian, who has been my rock and biggest support system for all these years,” she said. “We are both looking forward to starting this next chapter of our lives without my everyday grind of training and playing, but I will most likely need to find another outlet for my competitiveness! Perhaps that will be golf ?”