Carli Lloyd, one of the most prolific players in the history of the United States Women’s Soccer Team (USWNT), announced her retirement on Monday after 16 years with the national squad.
The New Jersey native who rose through the collegiate ranks at Rutgers University will play four more games with the USWNT in fall friendly matches in September and October, which will be announced by U.S. Soccer. Lloyd will also play the remainder of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season with NJ/NY Gotham FC to cap off a 12-year club career that featured stops with six teams.
“When I first started out with the National Team in 2005, my two main goals were to be the most complete soccer player I could be and to help the team win championships,” Lloyd said. “Every single day I stepped out onto the field, I played as if it was my last game. I never wanted to take anything for granted, especially knowing how hard it is to get to the top, but even harder to stay at the top for so long.”
Lloyd achieved both of those goals, becoming the second-most capped player in world soccer history (312) while scoring 128 international goals with USWNT, ranking fourth all-time in U.S. history and tied for fifth all-time in world history. Her 64 career assists also rank sixth all-time in national team history.
Developing into one of the world’s best players, Lloyd helped the United States win two World Cups in 2015 and 2019. She famously recorded a first-half hat trick inside 17 minutes during the 2015 Final against Japan.
At the Olympics, she scored the game-winning goals in the gold-medal games in 2008 and 2012 and recently recorded a brace in the bronze-medal game victory over Australia at the rescheduled 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
“Through all the goals, the trophies, the medals and the championships won, what I am most proud of is that I’ve been able to stay unapologetically me,” Lloyd said. 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. 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 owns the United States’ all-time record for most goals at the Olympic Games with 10 and ranks third with another 10 goals in World Cup play, third only to Abby Wambach (14) and Michelle Akers (12).
She also is one of the winningest players in women’s soccer history, as the United States went 257-17-38 in her 312 caps. That’s a winning percentage of 88%.
“Carli Lloyd is a true legend,” USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “Her career was unique, and her success on the field is something all current and future National Team players should aspire to achieve. The way she approached her everyday training and career as a professional is truly impressive and I’ve been honored to coach her.”
