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Former Rutgers star Carli Lloyd announces retirement from professional soccer
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Carli Lloyd, one of the greatest women’s soccer players of all time, is calling it a career.
Lloyd announced that decision on Tuesday night in a series of Tweets:
My first love. My first passion. 34 years of playing with this ⚽️. It has given me more than I could ever dream of. I could have never imagined the journey I’ve had. It has been incredibly hard, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) August 17, 2021
I can’t begin to thank everyone for the amazing messages and words I have received. Thank you ❤️. It’s not the end, it is just a new chapter in the next phase of my life!
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) August 17, 2021
Lloyd, who played at Rutgers from 2001-04, is expected to play in a series of friendlies with the United States Women’s National Team in the coming weeks. Lloyd is fresh off helping the US win the Bronze Medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Other achievements on her résumé include winning gold at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She also scored three goals in a World Cup Final against Japan in 2015.
In total, she has 128 goals for the United States Women’s National Team — good enough for fourth in program history. She’ll have an opportunity to jump to No. 3 on that list, which is currently occupied by Kristine Lilly’s 130 goals. She’s made 312 appearances between 2005-21.
For the Scarlet Knights, Lloyd scored 50 goals in 83 appearances. She was also the first Rutgers athlete ever to be named First Team All Big East for four consecutive years.
Rutgers’ football acknowledged her announcement on Tuesday evening:
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) August 18, 2021
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.