News: Carli Lloyd has announced retirement

Definitely will miss the old guard that helped U.S. winning many championships for a decade at least.

 

I would not be surprised if Horan gets it. I assume it is her preferred number, as she wears it for the Thorns.

 

Aly Wagner

 

3 years too late. Her and Rapinoe and the coaches, admins that allowed them to stay on team cost the country a shot at the gold medal. Gotta know when to fold em.

 

Thanks for the memories especially the 2015 final. Started her national team career when we had 2 stars and ended it with 4.

 

Hell of an athlete. Loved her grit and determination and growing older sucks.

 

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Vlatkos tactics cost this team a gold medal. Dont get it twisted.
If carli and pinoe didnt score in the third place match the usa would go home with nothing.

 

Per the Official USSF Press Release:

CHICAGO (August 16, 2021) – Carli Lloyd, perhaps the most impactful big-game player ever to feature for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, one of the greatest players in the storied history of the USWNT program, the second-most capped player in world soccer history and owner of 128 international goals.

Henceforth, IMHO, this should be the only acceptable and correct way to reference this particular player on this Board and in general cocktail party conversation.

 

I posted a couple weeks ago that I figured she (out of the 3 or 4 that probably should step away from US team play) would be the first to voluntarily retire, while the others were more consumed with the limelight and won’t. Lots of people said no way….she’ll be the one forced out. Clearly, while still fiercely competitive, she gets it. Hopefully, some of the others will follow.

 

I read your post on 8/8, regarding Vlatko’s tactics (or lack there of). And while I can see solid points there, my devils advocate response would be, if you’re the #1 ranked team in the world, if you believe that the players you’ve used over the all the matches in the last year and a half (which mostly have been consistent) can execute, then why would he have need to make changes? You said that the other countries came into the matches making changes…well of course that had…they had been beaten by the US!

The US simply needed to execute. He can’t go on the field and make the plays…the players have to! When he would sub players in the game (regardless if you liked the method in which he did it) were again expected to execute. They didn’t.

It is very mind boggling to me how a coach who had basically a flawless record over a year and a half would be blamed for this tournament. I mean when the most vocal player on your squad comes out and defends the coach by saying the players aren’t doing their jobs, that spoke volumes about their coach….

 

Indeed. This isn't the 90s anymore when it's the US and maybe 2-3 other countries with decent competition.

The USSF needs to wake up and realize that other federations and leagues are starting women's teams and women's academies alongside their men's teams.

You ever notice how players will retire from their national teams, then play a few more years for a club team? Compare that to the women's national team 90s...there wasn't much else. The mindset that they can trot out any bunch of a number of players and easily crank out a 5-1 win...well, we saw what happened.

40 is far, far too old. Her time has passed.

Megan Rapinoe also needs to be shown the door. The team needs to get younger. Much younger and now.

 

OMG, another thread with your hate for Vlatko. Is there a personal reason you are on this march? Enough!

 

Perhaps she will become the USWNT coach??

 

I know that was, probably/possibly, intended to be "tongue in cheek" but I believe she could do little worse than has been done.

However I believe, generally, it is a bad idea for a former player to coach/manage the side they played for until almost all of the players he/she played with have retired or been replaced.

Plus I also believe former players need to be 'vetted" at lower levels before they try to move into a head coaching roll.

 

“The most impactful big-game player ever to feature for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team”

I’ll say !!!
Congratulations on your career Carli
I loved watching you play.

 

Good for her. One of the best.

 

Ertz should get it, or... maybe Ashley Sanchez?

 

Oh my heart.
Now I know why she was so emotional after their defeat against Canada...She wanted a gold to precede her retirement. Probably the most unassuming and most underrated USWNT player so far.

 

The coach and the team let her down so she had to do all the work to win the bronze by scoring 2 goals at her age!

 

There's so much pathology among sports fans. For some, hating coaches of their teams is crucial. For others, hating players on their teams is crucial. It's really sad--but also quite unpleasant to see.

 

She's the kind of person you'd say the words "Thank you for your service".

 

Some career stats for Lloyd:
Caps: 312 (2nd most in USWNT history...and likely will get a few more in these fall friendlies; her 1st cap was in 2005)
Goals: 128 (4th in USWNT history, behind only Wambach, Hamm, and Lilly)
Starts: 239 of her 312 caps
WWC caps: 25 (and winner of Golden Ball and Silver Boot in 2015 WWC)
Olympic caps: 22 (scoring 10 goals, including 3 in Olympic finals in 2008 and 2012)
Winner of 2 WWC's and 2 Olympic golds; 2-time winner of FIFA's Best Female player (2015 and 2016) and twice named USSF Female Player of the Year (2008 and 2015)

While some surely have criticism, no one can deny that she was truly a big-game player, probably the best of the USWNT players to really rise to the occasion in the biggest games. She also is an example of someone who really enjoyed the hard work behind the scenes. Anson Dorrance once saw Mia Hamm running sprints by herself and wrote her a note that said, "The vision of a champion is someone bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one is watching." It's a good description of Lloyd as well.

No one can forget the hat trick in the 2015 WWC final and that goal. Fans who've been around longer will also surely remember the goal in the 2008 Olympic final in ET. But, we should also remember this (thanks, Meg Linehan for the reminder):

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