Carli Anne Lloyd (born 16 July 1982 in Delran, New Jersey) is an American soccer midfielder currently playing for the Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the United States women's national soccer team. [1]Lloyd grew up in Delran, New Jersey and played high school soccer at Delran High School.
Lloyd attended Rutgers University. While enrolled, she was a student-athlete who played for Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's soccer team from 2001 through 2004. She was coached by Glenn Crooks and was named First-Team All-Big East for four straight years. She was also named the 2001 Big East Rookie of the Year and the 2004 Big East Midfielder of the Year.
While still in high school, Lloyd played for W-League sides Central Jersey Splash in 1999, New Brunswick Power in 2000, and South Jersey Banshees in 2001. Before her senior year at Rutgers, Lloyd played for New Jersey Wildcats in 2004, on the same team as Kelly Smith, Manya Makoski, Tobin Heath, and Heather O'Reilly. She made only 1 appearance for the club.
With the return of top-flight professional soccer for women to the United States in Women's Professional Soccer, Lloyd's playing rights were allocated to Chicago Red Stars in 2008. In the inaugural 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season, she made 16 appearances (14 starts, 1313 total minutes) for Chicago and scored 2 goals and recorded an assist. Following the conclusion of the season, Lloyd was declared a free agent. She subsequently signed with hometown club and 2009 Champions Sky Blue FC for the 2010 Women's Professional Soccer season. In 2010 she signed with the Atlanta Beat.
Lloyd made her first appearance for the U.S. national team on 10 July 2005, against Ukraine. Her first international goal came on 1 October 2006, against Taiwan.
Lloyd played for the U-21 team before making the jump to the senior team. She appeared in the Nordic Cup four times between 2002 and 2005.
Lloyd was named Most Valuable Player of the 2007 Algarve Cup. She also appeared in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in which the United States came in third.
In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lloyd scored the game-winning goal against Brazil which clinched the Gold Medal for the United States in extra time. In April 2010 she suffered an ankle injury putting her away from the National team and the WPS, she came back to play on September 2010, and started training again with the USWNT, just in time to start the Women's World Cup Preparations with a Four Nations Tournament in January 2011. At the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup she scored the final goal in a 3-0 win against Colombia. In the final of the women's world cup, Carli missed a crucial penalty kick in overtime by shooting it over the cross bar. The USA team lost the game to Japan.
Lloyd made her first appearance for the U.S. national team on 10 July 2005, against Ukraine. Her first international goal came on 1 October 2006, against Taiwan.Lloyd played for the U-21 team before making the jump to the senior team. She appeared in the Nordic Cup four times between 2002 and 2005.
Lloyd was named Most Valuable Player of the 2007 Algarve Cup. She also appeared in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in which the United States came in third.
In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lloyd scored the game-winning goal against Brazil which clinched the Gold Medal for the United States in extra time. In April 2010 she suffered an ankle injury putting her away from the National team and the WPS, she came back to play on September 2010, and started training again with the USWNT, just in time to start the Women's World Cup Preparations with a Four Nations Tournament in January 2011. At the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup she scored the final goal in a 3-0 win against Colombia. In the final of the women's world cup, Carli missed a crucial penalty kick in overtime by shooting it over the cross bar. The USA team lost the game to Japan.
