The best players in the world prove themselves as such by going to the moment on the biggest stage when it’s most important. That’s exactly what Carli Lloyd did for USWNT at the 2015 World Cup.
Although they were still revered as the biggest international team in the women’s game, the United States had not won a World Cup in 2016 when the tournament in Canada rolled around, since the 99ers generation of Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain and Brianna Scurry.
In addition, they had not won a World Cup on foreign soil since the inaugural championship in 1991.
The Americans had dominated the global stage in between by winning Olympic gold medals in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012, but the World Cup was the prize they longed for and Lloyd reached a peak at just the right time to deliver it in a spectacular way.
Lloyd, who was born and raised in New Jersey – even played college football at the local Rutgers University, made his senior international debut in the summer of 2005 shortly after turning 23.
She was already a relatively late bloomer, with lots of USWNT players sooner or later, including the aforementioned Hamm and Chastain and any teammates Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan selected for the first time while still in college.
Lloyd did not actually start an international match until 2006 and although she started the group stage at the 2007 World Cup, where USWNT notoriously lost heavily in the semifinals against Brazil, it was in 2008 before she made a significant impact at a global tournament for the first time.
But it was at the Olympics in China in 2008 where her connecting power really emerged. The United States had lost its opening game against Norway, but Lloyd went on to score the only goal in a decisive victory over Japan to get the team back on track. It was eventually her overtime winner against Brazil in the final, revenge for the World Cup a year earlier, who took the gold medal.
Lloyd (top right) won Olympic gold for the first time in 2008 / Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
Lloyd had started all 35 games that USWNT played in 2008 and was named American Football Athlete of the Year along with men’s goalkeeper Tim Howard. She suffered an injury in 2010 when she broke her ankle at club level, but was back in 2011 and went to the World Cup wearing jersey number 10 which she has become synonymous with for the first time in a major tournament.
That World Cup ended with grief for USWNT and Lloyd in particular. She was one of three American players who missed a penalty in the last match against Japan, but it only served to motivate her more the challenges that awaited.
In 2012, Lloyd won a second Olympic gold medal with his country and scored both American goals in the final against Japan. Three years later, the World Cup rolled back again, the third in her career, when she would soon turn 33 years old and was a very experienced world-class player with 195 international caps and 63 international goals. But the biggest prize remained.
It was a star-studded American troupe with the likes of Hope Solo, Tobin Heath, Lauren Holiday, Heather O’Reilly, Amy Rodriguez, veteran trio Shannon Boxx, Abby Wambach and Christie Pearce, the only surviving 99, as well as the aforementioned Rapinoe and Morgan.
Lloyd played every minute in a difficult group and continued to make the tournament his own in the knockout stage. A penalty in the second half ensured that USWNT won their last 16 matches against Colombia with some difficulty, while she as captain led the match’s only goal in a close quarter-final against China. It was her 200th international appearance.
Lloyd made USWNT winner against China in 200th appearance / Andre Ringuette / Freestyle Photo / Getty Images
In the semi-final against Germany, Lloyd was again icy cold from the penalty spot and kicked his team forward against the European giants, who had won the World Cup twice since the recent American triumph in 1999. Kelley O’Hara eventually saw the result late.
Lloyd had scored in all three knockout matches to put USWNT in the final and create a repeat of the 2011 showdown against reigning champions Japan. This would be her finest hour.
She was on a completely different level in the final and Japan could not handle her perfect mix of technique, athleticism, aggression and power.
Lloyd was quickest to react to a low corner in just the third minute of the match, which put USWNT in the lead. Hardly any time had passed before she did her second to double that advantage, again reacting to a low set-in in the penalty area. Holiday scored a fine American third, still just 14 minutes into the final, and Lloyd completed his hat-trick right after.
The hat-trick goal was the choice of the gang and highlighted both her incredible vision and enormous physical strength, won the ball on the halfway line, saw Japanese goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori out of position and had the ability to start the ball more than 50 yards into the goal.
?? FIFA & @USWNT legend @CarliLloyd has announced that she is retiring
? Thank you for inspiring so many young football players around the world, Carli
? This #FIFAWWC last strike will never be forgotten ♾ pic.twitter.com/4XQ9yJwPWy
– FIFA World Cup for Women (@FIFAWWC) 16 August 2021
This was a hat trick of the highest order on the biggest stage to end the 16 year wait. Not only that, it had been Lloyd’s contribution earlier in the tournament that drew USWNT to the final.
“She won us in this World Cup,” Wambach said after the last whistle. At the same time, Japan’s coach Norio Sasaki commented: “She always does this to us” with reference to the 2012 Olympic final. But there was no real comparison because Lloyd’s performance during the 2015 World Cup was a step above.
Lloyd herself showed what she had in mind before the game and admitted that she had “visualized playing in the World Cup final and visualized scoring four goals”.
Although she was already an international star in women’s soccer, the 2015 World Cup transformed Lloyd into a bigger global name that surpassed women’s games and drove her and her team to a wider audience. Later that year, she shared the stage with Lionel Messi as FIFA World Player of the Year and was once again a 2016 FIFA winner.
As a veteran of the squad in 2019, Lloyd played a minor role when USWNT successfully defended a World Cup title for the first time.
She will retire in 2021 as a two-time World Cup winner, two-time Olympic champion, second on the USWNT and world appearance list and the best Olympic goal scorer in USWNT history. Without her knockout stage connection, the 2015 triumph would never have been possible.
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