Soccer legend Carli Lloyd is hanging up her cleats, but she’s not done with the game.
The two-time World Cup champion played her final match with the USWNT Tuesday in a friendly against South Korea. After the team’s 6-0 victory, Lloyd gave an emotional farewell speech, letting fans know the future of women’s soccer is very bright.
“You will not see me on the field, but you best believe that I will be around helping this game grow,” said Lloyd, a staple on the USWNT for the past 15 years.
Lloyd announced her plan to retire in August, having noted that she would finish out the remainder of the National Women’s Soccer League season — which concludes next month — with NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Lloyd, who turned 39 in July, received a standing ovation from cheering fans on Tuesday as she exited the game in tears. Her No. 10 jersey was shown for a substitution at St. Paul’s Allianz Field, where she removed her cleats and hugged her teammates one by one.
The announcement came after Lloyd won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics, where she netted two goals in the 4-3 defeat of Australia.
“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,” Lloyd said in August.
“We will all have a lot more time to spend together now, and especially with my husband Brian [Hollins], who has been my rock and biggest support system for all these years.”
Lloyd honored Hollins on Tuesday with a jersey swap displaying her transition into the next chapter of life. She removed her No. 10 Lloyd jersey while on the field, to expose a jersey with Hollins’ name on the back.
Credit: Source link
