Carli Lloyd Hints At Retirement After US Women’s National Team Wins Second Straight World Cup

The US Women’s National Team defended their 2015 World Cup title after winning it again on Sunday, beating the Netherlands 2-0 in France. This US team is the second team in both men’s and women’s international world cups that successfully won two World Cups back-to-back, joining the men’s Italian team accomplishing this near-impossible task in the 1930s.

After making history, what does the future hold for older stars Carli Lloyd, 36, and Megan Rapinoe, 34? Lloyd has hinted at retirement, while Rapinoe doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

“I don’t feel like I’m that old,” Rapinoe said after the final, according to ESPN. “I’m made for this.”

She certainly didn’t show any sign of slowing down during the final on Sunday. Rapinoe became the first player in the women’s World Cup to start in three straight finals. She gave the US the winning goal and earned the Golden Boot for the most goals in the tournament. Rose Lavelle scored the reassurance goal in the 69th minute to secure the Women’s World Cup for the US. Alex Morgan took the starting role up front for the majority of the tournament, forcing Lloyd to sit on the bench, but she still contributed to the team scoring three goals over the 2019 tournament. Lloyd will be turning 37 this July, and has hinted at retirement herself.

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“It’s been a really tough couple of years,” Lloyd said, according to ESPN. “It’s not based on my ability. And for whatever reasons, coaches make the decision. I tried to put up a good case. So I’m going to go home, I’m going to kind of let the emotions die down a little bit, speak to my husband and we’ll go from there.”

The 2020 Olympics are coming as well, with Lloyd possibly playing for another year before retiring to try to further build her impressive trophy cabinet. For now, though, the team can celebrate accomplishing two World Cups in eight years, something they can surely be proud about.

“The goal was winning. It’s been a really tough couple of years for me – I’ve been open and honest about it,” Lloyd said after the final, according to Sporting News. “First and foremost, I’m really proud of this team and proud to be on this roster of 23 players to win another World Cup.”