One of the most decorated careers in soccer history has officially come to a close.
Carli Lloyd, a fixture on the USWNT for the past 15 years, played her farewell match in a friendly against South Korea on Tuesday. While she finished scoreless, she still delivered the moment of the match when she was pulled in the 66th minute.
The crowd gave Lloyd a standing ovation as soon as her No. 10 was shown for a substitution at St. Paul's Allianz Field. Lloyd proceeded to remove her cleats, give a hug to every teammate in sight and remove her jersey to show another jersey with the name of her husband, Brian Hollins.
There were few dry eyes on the American sideline:
👏👏 @CarliLloyd walks off the field for the last time in a @USWNT jerseypic.twitter.com/tzDUBzZIw7
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 27, 2021
The USWNT honored Lloyd before the game as well, presenting her with a jersey showing the number of caps in her career. After the game, Lloyd addressed the crowd:
This is @CarliLloyd, signing off. ⬇️🎤 pic.twitter.com/CZ0841Abdo
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) October 27, 2021
"I hope you know that I gave it everything I had for every single one of you," Lloyd said. "Thank you to everybody who has played a role in my journey. I can't thank you enough. And that is it. I am signing off. You will not see me on the field, but you best believe that I will be around helping this game grow."
Carli Lloyd is one of USWNT's greats
As far as the history of the USWNT goes, it's impossible to remember the modern era without Lloyd's contributions.
A South Jersey native and Rutgers alum, Lloyd made her first USWNT appearance in 2005. Over the next 16 years, Lloyd notched the second-most caps in USWNT history (315), the third-most goals (134) and the fifth-most assists (64). Only Mia Hamm has more goals and assists in the team's history.
Beyond statistical production, Lloyd was known for delivering in the biggest of moments. She doesn't just have the only hat trick in the history of the FIFA Women's World Cup final, she posted it over the course of 16 minutes.
Throwback to Carli Lloyd's hat trick barely 15 minutes into the World Cup final 🇺🇸
Once again, the WORLD. CUP. FINAL. 🗣️#ThankYouCarli
(via @FOXSoccer)pic.twitter.com/1zxcGm2Ge4
— Yahoo Soccer (@FCYahoo) August 16, 2021
Lloyd enters retirement with two Women's World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, an Olympic bronze medal, two CONCACAF Women's Championships, a FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball, a FIFA World Player of the Year award and two FIFA World XI selections to her name.
She was also a decorated club player, playing for the Western New York Flash, the Houston Dash and NJ/NY Gotham in the NWSL and winning the FA Women's Cup on a loan to Manchester City.
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