UEFA Women's Cup Final 2005 at Potsdam

Women's association football has been played for many decades, but was associated with charity games and physical exercise in the past before the breakthrough of organized women's association football came in the 1970s. Before the 1970s, football was basically seen as a men's game. Football is the most prominent team sport for women in a few countries, and one of the few women's team sports with professional leagues.

The growth in women's football has seen major competitions being launched at both national and international level. (For more information, see Women's association football around the world and International competitions in women's association football respectively.) Women's football has faced many struggles throughout its fight for right. Although women's football had its first golden age in the UK in the early 1920s, when one match achieved over 50,000 spectators,^[1] this was stopped on 5 December 1921 when England's Football Association voted to ban the game from grounds used by its member clubs. The ban was not cancelled until July 1971.

History[link]

The Munitionettes' Cup[link]

In August 1917 a tournament was launched for female munition workers' teams in northeast England. Officially titled the Tyne Wear & Tees Alfred Wood Munition Girls Cup, it was popularly known as The Munitionettes' Cup. The first winners of the trophy were Blyth Spartans, who defeated Bolckow Vaughan 5–0 in a replayed final tie at Middlesbrough on 18 May 1918. The tournament ran for a second year in season 1918–19, the winners being the ladies of Palmer's shipyard in Jarrow, who defeated Christopher Brown's of Hartlepool 1–0 at St James' Park in Newcastle on 22 March 1919.

The English Ladies' Football Association Challenge Cup[link]

Following the Football Association ban on women's teams on 5 December 1921, the English Ladies' Football Association was formed. A silver cup was donated by the first president of the association, Len Bridgett. A total of 24 teams entered the first competition in the spring of 1922. The winners were Stoke Ladies who beat Doncaster and Bentley Ladies 3-1 on 24 June 1922.

The Championship of Great Britain and the World[link]

In 1937 and 1938, the Dick, Kerr's Ladies F.C. played Edinburgh Ladies in the "Championship of Great Britain and the World". Edinburgh Ladies won in 1937, Dick, Kerr's Ladies F.C. 1938.

The Football Association Women’s Challenge Cup (FA Women's Cup)[link]

After the lifting of the aforementioned ban, the now defunct Women's Football Association held its first national knockout cup in 1970–71. It was called the Mitre Trophy which became the FA Women's Cup in 1993. Southampton WFC was the inaugural winner. From 1983 to 1994 Doncaster Belles reached ten out of 11 finals, winning six of them. Arsenal are the current holders and the most successful club with a record 11 wins.

UEFA Women's Championship[link]

Unofficial women's European tournaments for national teams were held in Italy in 1969 ^[2] and 1979^[3] and won by Italy and Denmark, but there was no formal international tournament until 1982 when the first UEFA European Competition For Representative Women's Teams was launched. The 1984 Finals was won by Sweden. This competition name was succeeded by the UEFA Women's Championship and today, is commonly referred to as the Women's Euro. Norway won, in the 1987 Finals. Since then, the UEFA Women's Championship has been dominated by Germany, which has won seven out of eight events, interrupted only by Norway in 1993. Germany's 2009 win was their fifth in a row.

Women's World Cup[link]

Mia Hamm (Left) battles with German defender Kerstin Stegemann.

Prior to the FIFA's 1991 establishment of the Women's World Cup, several unofficial world tournaments took place in the 1970s and 1980s,^[4] including the FIFA's Women's Invitation Tournament 1988, which was hosted in Taiwan.^[5]

The first Women's World Cup was held in the People's Republic of China in November 1991, and was won by the USA. The third Cup, held in the United States in June–July 1999, drew worldwide television interest and a final in front of a record-setting 90,000+ Los Angeles crowd, where the USA won 5-4 on penalty kicks against China.

Copa Libertadores de América de Fútbol Femenino[link]

The Copa Libertadores de Fútbol Femenino (Women's Libertadores Cup) is the international women's football club competition for teams that play in CONMEBOL nations. The competition started in the 2009 season in response to the increased interest in women's football. It is the only CONMEBOL club competition for women, and it is sometimes called the Copa Libertadores Femenina.

Olympics[link]

For the 1996 established Women's Olympic Football Tournament, given the general abandonment of amateur regulations in the Olympic Games in the 1990s, the national women's teams do not have restrictions due to professionalism or age; thus, the tournament becomes a back-to-back re-World Cup with the best teams of the previous year's World Cup plus the hosts. However, England and other British Home Nations are not eligible to compete as separate entities because the International Olympic Committee does not recognise their FIFA status as separate teams in competitions. The participation of UK men's and women's sides at the 2012 Olympic tournament was a bone of contention between the four national associations in the UK from 2005, when the Games were awarded to London, to 2009. England was strongly in favour of unified UK teams, while Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland were opposed, fearing adverse consequences for the independent status of the Home Nations within FIFA. Eventually, a compromise was reached by which England alone will field teams under the UK banner (officially "Great Britain") for the 2012 Games.^[6]

Youth and amateur[link]

Iran vs Turkey in 2010 Youth Olympics

Youth tournaments[link]

Besides the United States and Germany (which won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups), the strongest women's teams have traditionally been Norway, China, and Sweden, with nations like Brazil emerging as powers.

In 2002, FIFA inaugurated a women's youth championship, officially called the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship. The first event was hosted by Canada. The final was an all-CONCACAF affair, with the USA defeating the host Canadians 1-0 with an extra-time golden goal. The second event was held in Thailand in 2004 and won by Germany. The age limit was raised to 20, starting with the 2006 event held in Russia. Demonstrating the increasing global reach of the women's game, the winners of this event were North Korea. The tournament was renamed the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, effective with the 2008 edition won by the USA in Chile. The current champions are Germany, who won at home in 2010.

In 2008, FIFA instituted an under-17 world championship. The inaugural event, held in New Zealand, was won by North Korea. The current champions at this level are South Korea, who won their first worldwide FIFA title in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.

Intercollegiate[link]

United States[link]

In the United States, the intercollegiate sport began from physical education programs that helped establish organized teams. After sixty years of trying to gain social acceptance women's football was introduced to the college level. In the late 1970s, women's club teams started to appear on college campus, but it wasn't until the 1980s that they started to gain recognition and gained a varsity status. Brown University was the first college to grant full varsity level status to their women's soccer team. The Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) sponsored the first regional women's soccer tournament at college in the USA, which was held at Brown University. The first national level tournament was held at Colorado College, which gained official AIAW sponsorship in 1981. The 1990s saw greater participation mainly due to the Title IX of 23 June 1972, which increases school's budgets and their addition of women's scholarships.

"Currently there are over 700 intercollegiate women's soccer teams playing for many types and sizes of colleges and universities. This includes colleges and universities that are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)."

Attire[link]

In 2004 FIFA President Sepp Blatter suggested that women should "wear tighter shorts and low cut shirts... to create a more female aesthetic" and attract more male fans. It was reported that this incurred criticism from female footballers and some newspapers.^[7]

In September 2008 FC de Rakt women's team (FC de Rakt DA1) in the Netherlands made international headlines by swapping its old kit for a new one featuring short skirts and tight-fitting shirts.^[8] This innovation, which had been requested by the team itself, was initially vetoed by the Royal Dutch Football Association on the grounds that according to the rules of the game shorts must be worn by all players, both male and female; but this decision was reversed when it was revealed that the FC de Rakt team were wearing hot pants under their skirts, and were therefore technically in compliance. Denying that the kit change is merely a publicity stunt, club chairman Jan van den Elzen told Reuters:

The girls asked us if they could make a team and asked specifically to play in skirts. We said we'd try but we didn't expect to get permission for that. We've seen reactions from Belgium and Germany already saying this could be something for them. Many girls would like to play in skirts but didn't think it was possible.

21-year-old team captain Rinske Temming said:

We think they are far more elegant than the traditional shorts and furthermore they are more comfortable because the shorts are made for men. It's more about being elegant, not sexy. Female football is not so popular at the moment. In the Netherlands there's an image that it's more for men, but we hope that can change.

In June 2011 Iran forfeited an Olympic qualification match in Jordan, after trying to take to the field in hijabs and full body suits. FIFA awarded a default 3–0 win to Jordan, explaining that the Iranian kits were "an infringement of the Laws of the Game", due to safety concerns.^[9] The decision provoked strong criticism from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad^[10] while Iranian officials alleged that the actions of the Bahraini match delegate had been politically motivated.^[11]

Also in June 2011, Russian UEFA Women's Champions League contenders WFC Rossiyanka announced a plan to play in bikinis in a bid to boost attendances.^[12]

Hooliganism[link]

In 2000, during the Women's African Cup of Nations final, Nigeria scored a controversial goal that many felt was offside. South African fans began throwing bottles at Nigerian players and started fights. Riot police had to come in and the game was abandoned. The Cup was awarded to Nigeria.^[13][14]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Women's association football

• List of women's association football clubs
• Women's sports
• Title IX
• Lists of association football players
• Women's association football around the world
• Football pools
• Gracie
• Bend It Like Beckham
• International competitions in women's football

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• David J. Williamson (1991). Belles of the ball: The Early History of Women's Association Football. R&D Associates. pp. 100. ISBN 0-9517512-0-4. http://www.worldcat.org/title/belles-of-the-ball/oclc/24751810. 
• Gail J Newsham (1997). In a League of Their Own! The Dick, Kerr Ladies 1917-1965. London: Scarlet Press. ISBN 1-85727-029-0. http://www.worldcat.org/title/in-a-league-of-their-own-the-dick-kerr-ladies-football-club/oclc/40702553. 
• Jean Williams (2003). A Game for Rough Girls?: a history of women's football in England. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-26338-2. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415263382/. 

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (August 2010)

• WomensSoccerUnited.com - Uniting the World of women's football!
• Books related to the history of Great Britain women's soccer
• Dick, Kerr Ladies FC
• FIFA Women's
• Women's World Football
• femaleSOCCER.net – UK girls and women's football
• SheKicks.net
• W-League – USA professional women's soccer/football
• Women's United Soccer Association (historic content, now defunct – USA)
• French women Football
• Spanish Female soccer
• Women's Premier Soccer League (USA semi-pro)
• Yahoo! Directory: Women's Football
• Women's 5 a-side leagues
• Women's Football History
• Russian women's football
• Russian female perspective on football

v t e International women's football FIFA · World Cup · Olympics · Algarve Cup · Cyprus Cup · U-20 World Cup · U-17 World Cup · World Rankings · Player of the Year · FIFA Ballon d'Or · Teams · Competitions  · Federations · Codes Asia AFC – Women's Asian Cup · U-19 · U-16 Africa CAF – Women's Championship · U-20 · U-17 North America, Central America and Caribbean CONCACAF – Women's Gold Cup · U-20 · U-17 South America CONMEBOL – Sudamericano Femenino · U-20 · U-17 Oceania OFC – Women's Championship · U-20 · U-17 Europe UEFA – Women's Championship · U-19 · U-17 Non-FIFA NF-Board – Women's Viva World Cup Games All-Africa Games • Asian Games • Pan American Games • Pacific Games • Southeast Asian Games See also International men's football.

Hope Amelia Solo

Hope Solo in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Hope Amelia Solo
Date of birth	(1981-07-30) July 30, 1981 (age 30)
Place of birth	Richland, Washington, United States
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Seattle Sounders Women
Number	1
Youth career
1999–2002	Washington Huskies
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003	Philadelphia Charge	8	(0)
2004	Kopparbergs/Göteborg	19	(0)
2005	Lyon	7	(0)
2009–2010	Saint Louis Athletica	23	(0)
2010	Atlanta Beat	16	(0)
2011	magicJack	4	(0)
2012–	Seattle Sounders Women	1	(0)
National team‡
1995–1997	United States U16
1998–1999	United States U19
1999–2000	United States U21
2000–	United States	114	(0)
Honours Competitor for USA Olympic Games – Women's Football Gold 2008 Beijing Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 30, 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 April 2012

Hope Amelia Solo (born July 30, 1981) is an American soccer goalkeeper playing for the Seattle Sounders Women. Solo has played for the United States women's national soccer team since 2000.

Personal life[link]

Solo was born in Richland, Washington on July 30, 1981.^[1][2] Her father Jeffrey, of Italian descent who grew up in the Bronx, was a sometimes-homeless Vietnam War veteran. It was Jeffrey who taught her how to play soccer. Although her parents divorced when she was six and she lived with her mother, Solo maintained a close relationship with her father, who continued to be a major influence in her life until his sudden death of heart failure in June 2007.^[3][4][5]

Amateur and Collegiate career[link]

Solo has played soccer with the Three Rivers Soccer Club in the Tri-Cities. As a forward at Richland High School, Solo scored 109 goals, leading her team to three consecutive league titles from 1996–1998 and a state championship in her senior year.^[6] She was twice named a Parade All American. At the University of Washington, Solo switched to the goalkeeper position and was the teams all-time leader in shutouts, saves, and goals-against average (GAA). She was a four-time All-Pac-10 selection and a three-time NSCAA All-American.

Solo saves a shot from the Boston Breakers in April 2010

Club career[link]

Following her college career, Solo was drafted for the now defunct WUSA team Philadelphia Charge in 2003. She made 19 league appearances for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC of Göteborg, Sweden in the Swedish Premier Division in 2004^[7] and played for Olympique Lyonnais in the French First Division in 2005. She made seven appearances for the French club.^[8]

Saint Louis Athletica[link]

On September 16, 2008, Solo was one of the three players drafted for Saint Louis Athletica in the WPS allocation of national team members, with the new league starting play in April 2009. Solo let in six goals in the first four games as Athletica got off to a very slow 0–2–2 start in their first season. She conceded eight goals in her next 13 games and finished the season with eight shutouts. In 2009 Solo was named the WPS Goalkeeper of the Year.

Atlanta Beat[link]

In May 2010 the Saint Louis Athletica folded and Solo signed with another WPS team, Atlanta Beat, along with two St. Louis teammates.^[9] As her previous number (1) was taken, she took #78 for the Beat. Solo's comments on social networking website Twitter led to two separate controversies; after she accused Boston Breakers supporters of offensive chanting and racism, then questioned the integrity of match officials and the league itself following the Beat's 1–0 defeat to Washington Freedom.^[10] The second outburst resulted in a $2,500 fine and one-game suspension.^[11] After the end of the season, Solo underwent surgery on her right shoulder on September 22.^[12]

magicJack[link]

Ahead of the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer season, Solo signed for new franchise magicJack. After one season with the magicJack the 2012 WPS season was canceled. On February 14, 2012 it was announced that Solo had signed with the Seattle Sounders Women.^[13]

International career[link]

Solo played for U.S. junior national soccer teams before joining the full U.S. national team in 2000. Her senior debut came in an 8–0 win over Iceland at Davidson, North Carolina in April 2000.^[14] She was named a member of the Olympic team in 2004, making the 2004 Olympics in Athens as an alternate. Solo has been the team's first choice goalkeeper since 2005. She has recorded several clean sheets and once went 1,054 minutes without allowing a goal, a streak that ended in a 4–1 victory against France in the Algarve Cup.

2007 FIFA Women's World Cup[link]

Solo was the starting goalkeeper for the United States in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, giving up two goals in four games including consecutive shutouts of Sweden, Nigeria and England. Heading into the semifinal match against Brazil, U.S. coach Greg Ryan benched Solo in favor of 36-year-old veteran U.S. keeper Briana Scurry, who had a strong history of performance against the Brazilians but had not played a complete game in three months.^[15][16] The U.S. lost to Brazil 4–0, ending a 51–game (regulation time) undefeated streak, while playing much of the match with only 10 players after midfielder Shannon Boxx received two yellow cards at the end of the first half.

Post-2007 World Cup fallout[link]

In an impromptu interview following the match, a clearly upset^[17] Solo criticized Ryan's decision. "It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that. There's no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it's not 2004 anymore. It's not 2004. And it's 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can't live by big names. You can't live in the past. It doesn't matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that's what I think."^[18][19] Many viewed her comments as being critical of Scurry's performance, although Solo released an apologetic statement the following day saying that was not her intent.^[20] On September 29, 2007, coach Greg Ryan announced that Solo would not be with the team and would not play in the third-place match against Norway the following day.^[21][22] Team captain Kristine Lilly stated that the decision on Solo was made by the team as a group.^[23] The U.S. went on to win against Norway 4–1.

Solo was named to the U.S. women's national soccer team roster for the post-World Cup tour, but she did not attend the first workout ahead of the first game against Mexico. Even though the players' contract with the federation stipulated that anyone on the World Cup roster had the right to play in the tour, she did not play in any of the three games against Mexico, being replaced by Briana Scurry for the first and third matches, and Nicole Barnhart for the second. The third match against Mexico, on October 20, 2007, marked the end of the U.S. women's national team's 2007 season. The team regrouped in January 2008 to begin preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[24] Ryan left the team after his contract was not renewed in December 2007. ^[25]

2008 Summer Olympics[link]

Solo with her Olympic gold medal

On June 23, 2008, it was announced Solo would be the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In a reversal of roles from the 2004 Olympics, Brianna Scurry did not make the team, though she was an alternate. On August 21, the U.S. women's team won the gold medal by defeating Brazil 1–0 in extra time, in no small measure due to Solo's performance as she stopped an energetic Brazilian attack, making save after save.^[26]

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup[link]

Despite missing much of the qualifying campaign with a shoulder injury, Solo was named to the U.S. roster for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.^[27] After keeping clean sheets in group C wins over North Korea and Colombia, Solo conceded two goals in the 2–1 loss to Sweden which consigned the Americans to second place in the group and a quarterfinal meeting with Brazil.

The quarterfinal match between the U.S. and Brazil was sent into a penalty shoot-out after U.S. forward Abby Wambach tied the game at 2–2 in stoppage time at the end of extra-time. Solo saved the third Brazil penalty kick by Daiane, helping the U.S. secure a semifinal spot against France.^[28] After the quarterfinal victory, Solo commented on the performance and spirit of the U.S. players during the match, "Even when we were a player down and a goal behind in extra time, you sensed that something was going to happen," and added that "[the] team kept fighting. You can't teach that. It's a feeling – and we play with that feeling."^[28]

Solo became the twenty-seventh American woman, and second goalkeeper, to reach 100 caps with her start in the 3–1 semifinal win over France.^[29] Talking to the media after the match, Solo reflected upon the tournament so far, "It was a hard-fought road [...] It hasn't been easy, but this is where we expected to be. We came this far, we better go all the way."^[29]

In the final, the U.S. team lost 3–1 in a penalty shootout to Japan, after twice taking the lead in an eventual 2–2 draw. Solo expressed admiration for the Japanese team and offered her congratulations.^[30] Solo won the "Golden Glove" award for best goalkeeper, and the "Bronze Ball" award for her overall performance. She was also featured in the "All-star" team of the tournament.^[31]

Other activities[link]

Solo was a contestant on the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars. Her partner was Maksim Chmerkovskiy and she was eliminated in the semi-final round. She appeared nude in ESPN's 2011 "Body Issue." ^[32]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hope Solo

• Official website
• Hope Solo on Twitter
• Hope Solo on Facebook
• Hope Solo – FIFA competition record
• US Soccer player profile
• Washington profile

United States squads v t e United States squad – 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup Third Place 1 Scurry 2 Dalmy 3 Rampone 4 Whitehill 5 Tarpley 6 Kai 7 Boxx 8 Ellertson 9 O'Reilly 10 Wagner 11 Lloyd 12 Osborne 13 Lilly (c.) 14 Lopez 15 Markgraf 16 Hucles 17 Chalupny 18 Solo 19 Jobson 20 Wambach 21 Barnhart Coach: Ryan v t e United States squad – 2008 Summer Olympics (Women's Soccer) - Gold Medal 1 Solo 2 Mitts 3 Rampone (c.) 4 Buehler 5 Tarpley 6 Kai 7 Boxx 8 Rodriguez 9 O'Reilly 10 Wagner 11 Lloyd 12 Cheney 13 Heath 14 Cox 15 Markgraf 16 Hucles 17 Chalupny 18 Barnhart Coach: Sundhage v t e United States squad – 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Runners-up 1 Solo 2 Mitts 3 Rampone (c.) 4 Sauerbrunn 5 O'Hara 6 LePeilbet 7 Boxx 8 Rodriguez 9 O'Reilly 10 Lloyd 11 Krieger 12 Cheney 13 Morgan 14 Cox 15 Rapinoe 16 Lindsey 17 Heath 18 Barnhart 19 Buehler 20 Wambach 21 Loyden Coach: Sundhage

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2012)

Carli Lloyd

Lloyd at a match against Canada in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Carli Anne Lloyd
Date of birth	(1982-07-16) July 16, 1982 (age 29)
Place of birth	Delran, New Jersey, United States
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Atlanta Beat
Number	10
Youth career
2001–2004	Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999	Central Jersey Splash
2000	New Brunswick Power
2001	South Jersey Banshees
2004	New Jersey Wildcats	1	(1)
2009	Chicago Red Stars	16	(2)
2010	Sky Blue FC	5	(0)
2011–	Atlanta Beat	10	(2)
National team‡
	United States U-21
2005–	United States	131	(36)
Honours Competitor for  United States Women's Football Gold 2008 Beijing Team World Cup medal record Bronze 2007 China Team Silver 2011 Germany Team
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 28, 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 9 April 2012

Carli Anne Lloyd (born July 16, 1982 in Delran, New Jersey) is an American soccer midfielder currently playing for the Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the United States women's national soccer team.

Early life and education[link]

Lloyd grew up in Delran, New Jersey^[1] and played high school soccer at Delran High School.^[2]

Lloyd attended Rutgers University. While enrolled, she was a student-athlete who played for Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's soccer team from 2001 through 2004. She was coached by Glenn Crooks and was named First-Team All-Big East for four straight years. She was also named the 2001 Big East Rookie of the Year and the 2004 Big East Midfielder of the Year.

Career[link]

For her United States women's national team (USWNT) career, Lloyd has 124 caps with 34 goals.

Professional clubs[link]

While still in high school, Lloyd played for W-League sides Central Jersey Splash in 1999, New Brunswick Power in 2000, and South Jersey Banshees in 2001. Before her senior year at Rutgers, Lloyd played for New Jersey Wildcats in 2004, on the same team as Kelly Smith, Manya Makoski, Tobin Heath, and Heather O'Reilly. She made only one appearance for the club.

With the return of top-flight professional soccer for women to the United States in Women's Professional Soccer, Lloyd's playing rights were allocated to Chicago Red Stars in 2008. In the inaugural 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season, she made 16 appearances (14 starts, 1313 total minutes) for Chicago and scored two goals and recorded an assist. Following the conclusion of the season, Lloyd was declared a free agent. She subsequently signed with hometown club and 2009 Champions Sky Blue FC for the 2010 Women's Professional Soccer season. In 2010 she signed with the Atlanta Beat.

National team[link]

Lloyd made her first appearance for the U.S. national team on July 10, 2005, against Ukraine. Her first international goal came on October 1, 2006, against Taiwan. At the 2006 Four Nations Tournament Lloyd won a third cap. She earned the first two starts of her career at the 2006 Algarve Cup, gaining a place in the starting 11 against Denmark and in the championship game against Germany. She played in 19 games, starting 13, and scored one goal.

Lloyd played for the national Under-21 team before making the jump to the senior team. She appeared in the Nordic Cup four times between 2002 and 2005, winning titles in 2002 in Finland, in Denmark in 2003, in Iceland in 2004 and in Sweden in 2005. She scored three times in the 2005 Nordic Cup, including two against Denmark and one in the championship against Norway. She had two goals and an assist, starting every match, at the 2004 Nordic Cup. She assisted on the lone goal in the USA’s 1-0 win against Denmark in the first round of the 2003 Nordic Cup.

2007 World Cup[link]

Lloyd established herself in a starting role in midfield. After scoring once in her first 24 matches, she scored four goals, one in each game, at the 2007 Algarve Cup, earning tournament top scorer and MVP honors. She scored her sixth career goal on a diving header in the USA’s 1-0 victory against Norway on July 14 and then registered her first two-goal game in a 6-1 win against New Zealand on August 12, including one blast from 38 yards. Lloyd started 13 of the 23 matches she played and played in her first FIFA Women's World Cup tournament, starting three (all in the first round) of the five games she played in which the United States came in third. She finished third on the team in scoring, with nine goals and three assists.

2008 Olympics[link]

Lloyd was named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year as she was a fixture in the midfield for the USA starting all 35 games in which she played, tying for the team lead in matches started during the year. She finished third on the team in minutes played with 2,781 and had her best scoring year for the WNT, finding the net nine times with nine assists. Lloyd scored two goals during the 2008 Olympics, scoring the winner in the 1-0 victory against Japan in group play, and then scored the game-winner in the overtime final victory against Brazil. She had also scored against Canada in the championship game of Olympic qualifying on a dramatic free-kick in overtime and scored the winning goal in a 3-2 stoppage time victory against Australia on April 27, in Cary, N.C. She scored in both of the USA’s matches in Scandinavia, against Norway and Sweden. 2008 was the year in which Lloyd became a star for the US and a playmaker for the midfield.

2009[link]

2009 saw the US taking a break after the 3rd place World Cup finish and Gold Medal run in the Olympics. They competed in eight games, of which Lloyd started in five.

2010[link]

Lloyd suffered a broken ankle in the 4th game of the WPS season while playing for Sky Blue FC. She still played in 15 matches for the USA however, starting 14 of them. She scored three goals with five assists and earned her 100th career cap in the final game of the year against Italy during the second leg of the FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff series. She scored against Germany in the Algarve Cup final and started all five games at the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifying tournament, scoring two goals, including the US's lone goal in the championship match. She ended the tournament with five assists and was named the player of the match three times for the tournament completing her comeback from injury. She played every minute of both legs of the playoff series against Italy.

2011 Women's World Cup[link]

2011 saw the US team making World Cup preparations and training starting with the 2011 Four Nations Tournament. Lloyd scored the lone goal for the US in the opening match loss to Sweden. In the championship match the US defeated Canada 2-0 with Lloyd scoring the 1st goal and being named player of the match. In the 2011 Algarve Cup, Lloyd scored three goals including the 1st goal in the championship match; subsequently named best goal for the tournament. She was named player of the match for the 2nd time in the tournament. At the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup she scored the final goal in a 3-0 win against Colombia for her 1st World Cup goal. For the tournament she tallied two assists, one goal, and one successful penalty kick in the shootout against Brazil to send the USWNT to the semifinals vs. France. In the World Cup final, the U.S. lost the game to Japan in a penalty shootout after finishing the game tied 2-2. ^[3]

2012[link]

The USWNT opened 2012 with the Olympic Qualifiers in Vancouver, Canada. The US was placed in Group B with the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Mexico. In the first match the US routed the DR by a score of 14-0 with Lloyd tallying one goal and one assist. ^[4] In the 2nd match, the US again routed their opponent Guatemala by a score of 13-0 with Lloyd again finding the back of the net and providing another assist.^[5] The game to win the group and thus play the 2nd place team from Group A occurred between the US and Mexico. This game was highly anticipated and viewed as revenge for the US as they had lost to Mexico, 2-1 to qualify for the World Cup. This time, the US beat Mexico 4-0 with Lloyd netting her first career hat trick. She was subsequently named player of the match for the first time in 2012.^[6] In the semi-final game to qualify for the Olympics, the US faced Costa Rica. The game was uncoordinated for much of the 1st half despite the US being a goal ahead. In the 2nd half, the US found their rhythm and netted two more goals, the first coming from Lloyd. The US beat Costa Rica 3-0 with Lloyd named player of the match for the 2nd game in a row.^[7] In the final versus Canada, the US played relaxed and possessed the ball easily beating Canada at home 4-0 to go to the Olympic as the CONCACAF champions.^[8] Lloyd finished the tournament with six goals and three assists and tied for the team lead in goals scored.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Carli Lloyd – FIFA competition record
• Official website
• US Soccer player profile
• Sky Blue FC player profile
• New Jersey Wildcats player profile

v t e United States squad – 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup Third Place 1 Scurry 2 Dalmy 3 Rampone 4 Whitehill 5 Tarpley 6 Kai 7 Boxx 8 Ellertson 9 O'Reilly 10 Wagner 11 Lloyd 12 Osborne 13 Lilly (c.) 14 Lopez 15 Markgraf 16 Hucles 17 Chalupny 18 Solo 19 Jobson 20 Wambach 21 Barnhart Coach: Ryan

v t e United States squad – 2008 Summer Olympics (Women's Soccer) - Gold Medal 1 Solo 2 Mitts 3 Rampone (c.) 4 Buehler 5 Tarpley 6 Kai 7 Boxx 8 Rodriguez 9 O'Reilly 10 Wagner 11 Lloyd 12 Cheney 13 Heath 14 Cox 15 Markgraf 16 Hucles 17 Chalupny 18 Barnhart Coach: Sundhage

v t e United States squad – 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Runners-up 1 Solo 2 Mitts 3 Rampone (c.) 4 Sauerbrunn 5 O'Hara 6 LePeilbet 7 Boxx 8 Rodriguez 9 O'Reilly 10 Lloyd 11 Krieger 12 Cheney 13 Morgan 14 Cox 15 Rapinoe 16 Lindsey 17 Heath 18 Barnhart 19 Buehler 20 Wambach 21 Loyden Coach: Sundhage