Anyone who has been to a U.S. team game has likely seen it. The team has dispersed, and there is only one person on the field. Carli Lloyd is still there by herself, running sprints or doing push-ups. However, this ritual will soon be over and the field will remain empty. Carli Lloyd, 39, has decided to retire and will be appearing in her last U.S. national team matches.
Lloyd, a USWNT legend, announces his retirement
Lloyd is undoubtedly the greatest American soccer player. Lloyd is second only to Kristine Lililly in appearances and fourth in goals. This leaves a rich legacy.
It is almost shocking to see Lloyd quit. This is something Lloyd has never done. Her personal brand of tenacity and determination are reflected in her actions. On her social media, she loves to share inspirational quotes about hardwork and has taken great pleasure in defying expectations so that she could say "I said so." It is hard to find a better example than the 2015 World Cup. This tournament made her famous and earned her the FIFA Player of the Year title.
The U.S. began the tournament poorly. Lloyd struggled in her two-way midfield position. She expressed her frustration at feeling constrained by Jill Ellis' tactics and being unable, she said, to express herself.
Ellis conceded and gave Lloyd the keys to attack. Lloyd scored the goal that would define her career: a shot at half-field to secure a hat trick (scored within the first 16 minutes of the World Cup final). She told reporters that she had expected it during the post-game press conference following the 5-2 win for the U.S. She said that she had hoped to score four goals in the World Cup final during a "burning", training session. This was one more than she actually scored.
Lloyd will always be remembered as a winner. Her sensational career that saw her win two World Cup titles as well as two Olympic gold medals, will soon be the main source of information. But if you look closely, Lloyd's legacy will be one of a complex and contradictory hero. An article in her hometown newspaper titled "Lloyd an interesting, but inconsistent, U.S. superstar" could have been published at any time during her career.
Despite her great performances in major tournaments and her amazing magic, pundits frequently criticized her low-level performances. She was called "a turnover machine" or "below average" by them. Fans wondered, based upon her appearances in non-tournament games, why she was included in the U.S. team. She wasn't the same player in friendlies and she didn't lead any of her club teams towards tangible success. The exception was her 2013 season with Western New York Flash.
Lloyd is one the most decorated U.S. women’s players. She has two Olympic gold medals from four tournament appearances and two Women's World Cup trophies. Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images
Pia Sundhage, coach of the 2012 Olympics, famously dismissed Lloyd due to her propensity for losing possession. She told reporters before the Olympics that Lloyd was too good and bad at losing possession. Sundhage was forced to insert Lloyd after Shannon Boxx, the starting midfielder, was hurt in the first game of the 2012 Olympics. After being told that she wasn't good enough she was suddenly able to surprise everyone. She scored in the first game against France, and then again to win gold over Japan.
Lloyd, who was just as determined as ever, told reporters about Sundhage’s lack of faith that Lloyd had said: "When someone says I can't do it, I'm going always prove them wrong." This is what champions do.
Lloyd is a well-known player who can win trophies on her own for the U.S. It was 2008 when she won the Olympic gold medal match against Brazil. It was also done in the 2012 Olympics gold medal match against Japan. She darted in front Abby Wambach at one point to score and then found the game-winner using a rocket strike. She also failed to score in the shootout for the 2011 World Cup final. Japan won, and it is a moment that will be cherished.
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Although she claims that critics fuel her, the criticism has never been a good fit for her. She was able to see the truth in criticism, even though he is a journalist from her local newspaper. She called out the journalist who had covered her for the longest time at her local newspaper, calling him "the hometown guy that can't support me", because he dare to ask whether Vlatko andonovski would bring Lloyd along to the Tokyo Olympics. Other journalists who wrote something she did not like were blocked by her on Twitter, even though they had never tagged her.
Although she called her memoir "When Nobody Was Watching," she made sure that everyone was there, posting curated clips of her workouts to social media. She ran sprints following the U.S. loss to Canada in the Olympic semifinal earlier in the month to ensure she was ready for the bronze medal game. In case it was missed, she shared a photo taken by a Japanese journalist on her Twitter account.
These contradictions and inconsistencies between Lloyd's memories of herself as a player and her current vision of Lloyd may have been necessary to help her reach her greatest heights.
Lloyd has always been driven to improve herself through soccer, which is a constant act of self-improvement that demands continuous effort and evolution. Lloyd would never be able to achieve the next level if success was always easy. Lloyd has learned from her failures and setbacks, which have helped her become a better person. She had to remind herself sometimes of her own greatness to ensure that it was available for deployment. Lloyd has changed a lot over her career. This is not only because of the ups, downs, and the changes in her performances. Lloyd's remarkable longevity is due to her ability to adapt and to find new ways of elevating her game.
Lloyd, in her 30's, became a striker. This, she claimed, helped her improve off-the-ball movements and her finishing. She played a variety of roles in the central midfield during her career. These included defending possession and playmaking. Although it wasn't always an ideal match, she was almost always able to find a way.
Lloyd's most memorable moment was perhaps her hat trick in the 2015 Women’s World Cup final against Japan. She began the tournament as a midfielder and ended the tournament as the tournament's MVP. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
It is evident that Lloyd has the ability to reinvent herself as a player. This may explain why many fans are still looking for more from Lloyd off the field. Lloyd has not participated in the same causes that her fellow players on the U.S. team have. Lloyd stood during the Olympics, when all teams (not just the U.S.), took a knee prior to games (not during national anthems). This was an anti-racism gesture. Although it seemed like Lloyd was only distracted by winning, some fans labeled her selfish and unfeeling robot.
This stubbornness is part of the Carli Lloyd mystique. Although she can attribute her success to hard work, determination, and perseverance, her greatest tools were always a big chip on her shoulder as well as a determined defiance. She was driven to win that she ended all ties with her immediate family. This was before the Tokyo Olympics.
Lloyd said to me in 2013 that she wanted to be FIFA's Player-of-the Year. It seemed absurd, but she was aware it would make her laugh. She stated that her ultimate goal was to be FIFA Women's Player-of-the Year. Some may think she is crazy but it's not a bad thing to dream of reaching the top. It's not worth limiting yourself.
Lloyd believed that she could accomplish the impossible. She became the oldest Olympic goalscorer at 39 and won the bronze medal match against Australia. This was the end of a remarkable career that began in 2005. While a trophy was always on the line, she was not only a participant in the U.S. team's national team but was a key figure.
Lloyd said that the trip to the stadium by bus was different from the one she experienced before the bronze medal match. She reflected on all she had done to get there, even though it was her last match in a major tournament. She spoke of her pride at the player she had become.
She said, "Never faltering, just being me." "Unapologetically me. Although it was difficult at times, I have learned to trust the process.
