Lloyd announces her retirement from U.S. women’s soccer program

Carli Lloyd (10), who helped the U.S. win two World Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals, announced her retirement Monday. Above, she celebrates scoring a goal at Rentschler Field against Mexico in July.

Carli Lloyd, perhaps the most impactful big-game player ever to feature for the U.S. women’s national soccer team with the second-most appearances (caps) in team history and 128 international goals, announced her retirement from professional soccer on Monday.

U.S. Soccer will soon announce four fall friendly matches for the U.S. national team  – two in September and two in October – which will serve as Lloyd’s final games in a U.S. uniform. Lloyd will also play the remainder of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season with Gotham FC (New York City) before ending her professional career, which has spanned 12 years and 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.” said Lloyd. “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, 39, ends an historic international career that began in July 2005 (a few days before she turned 23) when she debuted against the Ukraine in Portland, Oregon. She currently has 312 caps, which is second all-time in U.S. and world history behind only Connecticut legend Kristine Lilly (354). Lloyd is one of just four international soccer players to play 300 or more times for her country.

“I am forever grateful to have represented the crest and to be able to play for my country for the last 17 years,” said Lloyd. “I will continue to support and cheer this team on and continue to find ways to help grow the game and inspire the next generation.

“To end my career knowing my family was able to be by my side and share this last chapter with me could not have been any more special,” she said. “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. We are both looking forward to starting this next chapter of our lives without my everyday grind of training and playing.”

Through her 312 caps to date, the USA has an overall record of 257-17-38, a winning percentage of 88 percent. She appeared for the USA in three different decades, at four World Cups and in four Olympic Games. She has started 239 of her 312 games, coming off the bench 73 times, and served as team captain in the latter part of her career.

Lloyd played eight games with the U.S. national team in East Hartford at Rentschler Field, including a pair of 4-0 wins over Mexico in July to tune up for the Olympic Games. She had a goal and an assist in the win over Mexico on July 5.

The Americans went undefeated in those eight games at Rentschler Field with a 5-0-3 record.

Lloyd had a goal and two assists in a 7-0 rout of Columbia on a cold spring day in 2016. Her sixth career goal came on a diving head ball in a 1-0 win over Norway in July 2007 at Rentschler Field. It came of a perfect cross from Lilly.

One hundred and twenty goals and 14 years later, she scored her 126^th goal scored at Rentschler – now known as Pratt & Whitney Stadium — against Mexico in July on another diving header. This time, she took a pass from Crystal Dunn working on the left side of the field. Dunn set a nice crossing pass that cleared a leaping Mexican defender and went Lloyd, who dove and headed the ball into the net.

Carli Lloyd (10) battles for position against Australia during the 2018 Tournament of Nations at Rentschler Field.

“Carli Lloyd is a true legend,” said U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “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.”

Lloyd also played full international matches with more than 100 different teammates.

“We’ve basically been like family over the years,” said Lloyd. “The number of days we spend together on the road is more than the time we spend with our own families and significant others. We have been able to share some unbelievable moments together on and off the field, and we’ve also shared some heartbreaking moments. I’m just thankful for both the highs and lows because that’s what has helped us grow as people, players and as a team. I will always be thankful for the friendships I have formed along the way and the fact that I was able to play and compete with the best players in the world.”

Not only has her longevity been truly extraordinary but her production as well. Her 128 career goals are fourth all-time in U.S. history and tied for fifth all-time in world history, and her 64 career assists are sixth all-time for the Team USA. Although she has played mostly forward in the latter part of her career, she is the highest scoring midfielder in U.S. history. She has scored in 97 of her 312 games.

“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,” said Lloyd. 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 may be remembered best for her remarkable hat trick inside of just 17 minutes into the first half of the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, a trio of scores that was capped by one of the most famous goals in soccer history, her strike from midfield to make the score 4-0 in the eventual 5-2 U.S. victory over Japan. She would win the Golden Ball as the best player in the tournament.

But it was Lloyd’s consistent production over the course of her career, her extreme dedication to the game and her relentless pursuit of self-improvement that perhaps best exemplifies her contribution to U.S. and world soccer history. She scored in all three Olympic medal games in which she played, bagging the game-winners in the gold medal games at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics while scoring twice – including the eventual game-winner — in the recent bronze medal game victory over Australia in Japan in her final Olympic match.

“I’ve heard many players say they want to leave the game better than they found it, and I think that’s the case for sure,” Lloyd said. “I know this team is in good hands on the field and that the fans will continue to support our team in the future.”

Lloyd scores against Columbia in a 7-0 win at Rentschler Field in 2016. 

She ends her career as the USA’s all-time top scorer in the Olympic Games with 10 goals, surpassing Abby Wambach. She also scored 10 goals in World Cup play, third only to Wambach (14) and Michelle Akers (12).

Her ability to play at the highest levels into her late 30s has been unprecedented. Lloyd scored 36 international goals between the time she debuted (six days before her 23rd birthday) and her 30th birthday. Since turning 30, she has scored a remarkable 92 goals in 177 games over a span of a little more than nine years. No female player in the history of international soccer has scored more goals after her 30th birthday than Lloyd.

Lloyd’s eight career hat tricks are tied with Mia Hamm for the most three-goal games in team history. Her most recent hat trick on Oct. 7, 2018, vs. Panama at World Cup qualifying made her the oldest player to score a hat trick for the women’s national team (36 years, 83 days). She broke Wambach’s record of 34 years, 186 days.

Lloyd’s goal against Jamaica on June 13 of this year, scored after just 23 seconds, was the second fastest to start a match in women’s national team history and also made her the oldest player in U.S. women’s national team history to score a goal. Lilly was previously the oldest player to score a goal for the USA at 38 years, 264 days. Lloyd was 38 years, 332 days old on June 13 against Jamaica.

Lloyd was twice named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year (2008 & 2015) and was twice named the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year (2015 & 2016). She and Hamm (2001 & 2002) are the only two Americans to win FIFA Women’s Player of the Year twice.

Lloyd was born and grew up in New Jersey, where she excelled as a youth player. She attended her home state’s Rutgers University, becoming a four-time All-Big East Selection and a three-time All-American.

Content from U.S. Soccer included in this report.