New Jersey native Carli Lloyd is headed to her fourth Olympics as a member of the U.S. Women's National Team.
Lloyd, who is 39 and hails from Delran, is the oldest USWNT soccer Olympian. The star forward vowed that she would push to make the team after the 2019 World Cup, and she made it happen despite needing knee surgery and COVID-19 delaying the games by a year.
Here's a look at Lloyd's journey to Japan.
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A Jersey girl all the way, Lloyd was born in Marlton before growing up in Delran. And that's where her love of soccer began. She attended Delran High School and Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Tokyo Olympics 2020 Performance, So Far
The USWNT suffered a 3-0 loss to Sweden on Wednesday, making the path out of their group far more difficult. This marks the end of the team's 44-game unbeaten streak and the first time in 73 games they’ve failed to score.
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Lloyd entered the game at halftime, but the damage was already done. She had a shot deflected wide and ended the game with no goals scored.
Sweden is looking like a favorite to win the gold medal. The Swedes also upset the USWNT in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The USWNT will now face New Zealand on Saturday and then Australia in their final two group games.
Medals
Lloyd won gold in the London Olympics in 2012 and in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. In 2016, the team placed fifth.
Records
Lloyd was part of the teams that won the World Cup in 2019 and 2015.
Family Life
Lloyd had a 12-year rift with her parents, but recently reconciled with them when the pandemic cleared her schedule and gave her time to reflect on her relationships.
"I don’t know what would’ve happened if the Olympics actually went on in 2020," Lloyd told TODAY. "Would they have been a part of it? Would I have rekindled the relationship with them? I don’t know."
Her parents and husband, professional golfer Brian Hollins, will not be able to attend the games in person due to COVID-19 restrictions, but they will be cheering her on from home.
Education
Lloyd graduated from Rutgers University in 2006. She played on the women's soccer team and was voted to the All-Big-East First Team all four years. She is the Scarlet Knights' all-time leader in shots, points and goals.
Coach
The women's national team is coached by Vlatko Andonovski, and they hadn't lost a single game under his leadership before the games. Andonovski selected the 22 player lineup for the Tokyo Olympics.
Jill Ellis, the previous coach, was dismissed after the team lost one game out of 55. She previously led the team to consecutive World Cup wins.
Sponsorships
Lloyd is sponsored by Nike, Volkswagen, Secret, NJM, Gone Rogue and CBDMEDIC. (Gone Rogue sells protein-filled chicken chips.)
Teammates
Lloyd will play alongside other fan-favorite players including Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Tobin Heath. Lloyd and Heath -- also a New Jersey native, hailing from Basking Ridge -- are both playing in their fourth Olympics, tying the record of soccer legend Christie Pearce Rampone.
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