Carli Lloyd’s incredible international career is set to come to a conclusion today.
She will don the shirt of the United States women’s national team for one last time as the nation line-up for a friendly against South Korea.
The 39-year-old will be given a send-off to remember, with FoxSports even streaming a dedicated "CarliCam'' that will follow Lloyd throughout the match.
Ahead of her final match, GiveMeSport Women takes a look at her incredible international career.
Inspired by the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Born in 1982, Lloyd began playing football aged 5. She was renowned for her talent while at Delran High School, and was named Girls' High School Player of the Year by The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1999 and 2000.
In an interview with FIFA, Lloyd revealed she was inspired by the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup after she attended the opening match.
"I remember the women playing, the fans - everybody was so excited," she said. "It was a remarkable moment and I said to myself then that it would be amazing to be able to play for my country. Little did I know that that dream would come true."
Lloyd played for the women’s football team at Rutgers University from 2001 to 2004, balancing appearances for the United States under-21 team at the same time.
Her first cap for the senior team came on July 10th, 2005 against Ukraine, followed by her first goal for her country against Taiwan on October 1st, 2006.
It was the start of a magnificent international career.
Record-breaking international career
Since her first appearance against Ukraine, Lloyd has played an incredible 315 times for the US. This makes her the second-most capped footballer of all time, behind only compatriot Kristine Lilly on 354 caps.
A midfielder or forward by trade, Lloyd has often been part of a potent US strike force, scoring 134 goals in total.
Her goals have sometimes been crucial – Lloyd scored the gold-medal winning goals in the finals of the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games.
She also helped the US to victory at the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups. At the former tournament, Lloyd became the first women’s player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final. She was the second player ever to achieve the feat, after Geoff Hurst.
Lloyd’s impressive performances earned her the FIFA Player of the Year accolade in 2015 and 2016.
The American’s career has not been without controversy. Lloyd has attracted criticism for failing to kneel alongside her teammates during the US national anthem, a symbolic gesture against racism.
She also described the 2019 Women’s World Cup as the "absolutely the worst time of my life" due to her lack of playing time.
Despite this, Lloyd will always be remembered for being one of the stand-out players in arguably the best women’s football team the world has ever seen.
She will go out with well-deserved acclaim this evening.
