Carli Lloyd Is The Engine Of The USWNT

By Douglas Smith @DFresh39 on October 26, 2014

The Golden Ball for the best player of the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship was rightfully awarded to Carli Lloyd. It was an easy choice for the tournament and for the USWNT as Lloyd proved she is the most important player on a talented, deep team. Lloyd was a big reason why the team won their seventh CONCACAF Championship and improved as the tournament progressed. She will be just as pivotal when the 2015 Women’s World Cup begins next June.

Lloyd finished second in the tournament with five goals, but led the field with 26 shots. She was able to find space from an attacking left-side midfield spot with the USWNT front three occupying defenders. It is her athletic ability and soccer smarts that allow her to find the holes in the defense. She contributed in many other offensive build-ups, where her name didn’t show up on the score sheet. Lloyd was also one of only four players to start every match in the tournament.

The biggest game of the tournament was the semifinal, where a win over Mexico meant a berth in the Women’s World Cup. It was Lloyd’s two goals that led the team to the win and the qualifying berth. She had the pressure of playing on basically her home field just 40 minutes from where she went to high school. PPL Park marketed tickets for the tournament with only Lloyd on the ads. Of course, Lloyd has had no trouble with pressure in the past, having scored goals that secured Gold Medals for the USWNT  in two previous Olympic Games.

Lloyd has done well to find space where she can face up in a triangle with her midfield teammates, while the prolific front line backs down the opponent’s defenders. Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe trade places to find the most threatening location knowing they are backed up by Lauren Holiday. Coach Jill Ellis thinks Lloyd has become a better box-to-box player because she is more aggressive going at the opposition. Her supporting cast gives her more freedom to roam.

Lloyd is approaching her fifth major tournament and 200th national team appearance. Yet, she is always looking for a challenge and a World Cup title would solidify her legacy. The USWNT need Lloyd healthy because she is the key to their run in Canada next year. Given her track record, Lloyd could score the clincher in Vancouver in 2015.

Douglas Smith is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DFresh39, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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