Carli Lloyd to retire after next year's Olympics
Two-time world champion Carli Lloyd intends to retire after next year's Olympics, where she and the USA aim to reclaim the gold medal.
Lloyd, 38, is one of the USA's most decorated players, having made 294 appearances since her debut in 2005 — putting her third on their all-time list. She was singled out as Fifa's World Player of the Year on two occasions and is her country's fourth highest goalscorer.
She famously scored a hat trick in the 2015 World Cup final to help clinch the title and, speaking on Charlie Webster's ‘My Sporting Mind’ podcast, said her final aim in the sport is to make the squad for her fourth Olympics at Tokyo next summer.
"My long-term goal is to make another Olympic team and win another Olympic gold medal with my team-mates," she said. "Hopefully that dream can come true next summer and then I'll probably get a little taste of retirement and the next chapter.
"My husband and I would like to start a family eventually and I really still enjoy doing [coaching] clinics. I held one a few days ago and it was awesome to bring smiles to these kids' faces, especially in a time like this where their lives have been torn apart with Covid. So I think that’s sort of the plan — and to stay involved in the game in Fifa with the Legends programme."
While Lloyd struggled to slot into Jill Ellis's starting XI at last year's World Cup, she is said to be enjoying playing under US head coach Vlatko Andonovski since he was appointed last October.
Currently rehabbing a knee injury with her NWSL club Sky Blue, she said coming back and winning her third Olympic gold medal would be the best way to end her storied career.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to accomplish a lot, but the final chapter isn’t written yet," she said. "And I know that when the time comes for me to walk away from the sport I will hold my head high because I know in my heart that I left it all out there, gave everything I had and did everything possible to be the best and most complete player I could be. Not quite there yet, still have a little left to go."
