Team USA Soccer Star Carli Lloyd Announces Retirement

Carli Lloyd is hanging up her cleats.

The 39-year-old Team USA soccer star has announced her retirement from the competitive sport, just following Team USA’s bronze medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Click inside to read Carli’s announcement…

Carli has planned to play in four upcoming matches in the fall and finish out the remainder of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season with the NJ/NY Gotham FC before her retirement.

“When I first started out with the national team in 2005, my two main goals were to be the most complete soccer player I could be and to help the team win championships,” Carli shared in her official statement. “Every single day I stepped out onto the field, I played as if it was my last game. I never wanted to take anything for granted, especially knowing how hard it is to get to the top, but even harder to stay at the top for so long.”

She continued, “I would like to thank U.S. Soccer for helping to provide the opportunities and memories that will last a lifetime. I am forever grateful to have represented the crest and to be able to play for my country for the last 17 years. I will continue to support and cheer this team on and continue to find ways to help grow the game and inspire the next generation.”

“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. We will all have a lot more time to spend together now, and especially with my husband Brian, who has been my rock and biggest support system for all these years,” she added. “We are both looking forward to starting this next chapter of our lives without my everyday grind of training and playing, but I will most likely need to another outlet for my competitiveness! Perhaps that will be golf?”

Carli ended her statement by thanking all her teammates throughout the years.

“We’ve basically been like family over the years,” she shared. “The number of days we spend together on the road is more than the time we spend with our own families and significant others. We have been able to share some unbelievable moments together on and off the field, and we’ve also shared some heartbreaking moments. I’m just thankful for both the highs and lows because that’s what has helped us grow as people, players and as a team. I will always be thankful for the friendships I have formed along the way and the fact that I was able to play and compete with the best players in the world.”