Carli Lloyd’s playing career is coming to an end. But first, two final farewell matches later this month against South Korea. On Wednesday, coach Vlatko Andonovski named his USWNT roster for the upcoming friendlies, which are little more than a chance to send Lloyd off in style.
Lloyd announced in August she will retire after the 2021 NWSL season, calling an end to an historic career.
New signings Vicky Losada and Khadija Shaw were among those on target for Manchester City as it ran riot in the first half to secure a handsome 4-0 victory over Everton in their FA Women's Super League opener on Saturday.
Carli Lloyd was not good enough. Megan Rapinoe was not good enough. Alex Morgan was not good enough. Crystal Dunn was not good enough. Tobin Heath was not good enough. The USWNT was not good enough.
Carli Lloyd running sprints alone after defeat may be the lasting image of the USWNT’s 2020 Olympic run, but her questionable inclusion on the team will be a talking point for years to come.
The USWNT has been far from impressive at the Tokyo Olympics. The defense has been shaky, the midfield often overrun and the forwards unable to stay onside. But Team USA is through to the medal rounds thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, the one constant this tournament.
In 1999, the USWNT was on top of the world. Americans fell in love with the 99ers who won the Women’s World Cup on home soil, with Brandi Chastain’s shirtless celebration becoming one of the first soccer moments to transcend into mainstream culture in the U.S.
Twenty years later, the USWNT was back on top of the world. Megan Rapinoe led the USWNT to a fourth Women’s World Cup, but the love didn’t necessarily follow. Half of the country hated the team for reasons having little to do with soccer.
The USWNT bounced back, as basically everyone expected it to do, taking care of New Zealand 6-1 on Saturday in Saitama, Japan. After they were crushed by Sweden in the Olympic opener, the Americans needed a response, and this was a pretty good one. It was a fairly straightforward victory, though not necessarily the sort of performance that will scare the other medal favorites in Japan.
One thing Team USA did accomplish was providing one of the few audience members a profound understanding of the intricacies of the offside rule.
It’s the moment athletes wait their entire lives for: To walk into a stadium of roaring fans alongside compatriots during the Olympic Games opening ceremonies. Things were a bit different this year as Olympic Stadium in Tokyo was mostly empty, fans unable to attend because of the Covid-19 pandemic still raging around the world.
But that didn’t stop the USWNT from having fun, even from a hotel room about 20 miles away.
Riding a 44-match unbeaten streak, the USWNT arrived in Japan on July 7 to begin its final preparations for Tokyo 2020. We’re now just seven days away from the team’s opening game against Sweden on July 21 (4:30 a.m. ET kick-off), and the squad has been putting in work at its base in Miyazaki.
☔️ or ☀️
on our grind. pic.twitter.com/ATlUwkSxUR— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) July 13, 2021
After months of speculation, the USWNT Olympic roster is here. Vlatko Andonovski went about as conservative as possible, picking an old, experienced, veteran squad to represent the Stars and Stripes in Japan this summer.
Chelsea all but clinched the FA Women’s Super League crown by holding off Manchester City for a 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Sam Kerr scored and drew a penalty converted by Pernille Harder as the Blues maintained their two-point margin atop the league with two games to play — despite two costly mistakes at the back.