Carli Lloyd’s USWNT role remains unclear as SheBelieves Cup gets underway
By Jordan Small
The USWNT begin their SheBelieves campaign on Wednesday night as they take on Japan in Philadelphia. Where does Carli Lloyd stand?
When you look at the U.S. national team, it is clear that head coach Jill Ellis has a certain group of players in mind for this summer’s World Cup in France. Then there are the players who are on the edge and are uncertain of their fate come the tournament. And somewhere in between, there are players like Carli Lloyd who are assumed to be on the roster, but their level of involvement will be something to keep an eye on.
In 2018, the U.S. played 22 games across the world. Only one of those games did not feature the captain Lloyd. But only six of those games saw Lloyd start. Now it makes sense that Lloyd came off the bench for most of 2018. She is the oldest player on the roster by three years and is trying to find the right position as the style Ellis is playing continues to change. Heading into the game against Japan, it seems like an appropriate time to look at where Lloyd stands.
When the U.S. played Japan in the World Cup final in 2015, Lloyd was the reason they pulled off the victory. Never has there been a more dominating performance in a World Cup final by a single player than the hat trick performance Lloyd turned in on that day. But since then, her performance has been up and down. She has gone from an almost guaranteed starter to one of the most consistent players off the bench.
But are her seven goals in 2018 really enough? Sure she played a lot of garbage minutes towards the end of games, but if they are going to put her up top, she should be putting more in the back of the net. Ellis might try and bring Lloyd in for more of a defensive presence, but the biggest reason she moved up to the front line is because of her defensive struggles.
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As June rolls around, Ellis will have some major roster decisions to make. Barring injury, Lloyd will most likely make the roster. No matter what people think about her, she does have a knack for big time performances in finals. She is also a captain on the team and that veteran leadership could be very important for a team that underwent a lot of turnover since winning the whole thing in 2015.
The US will now kick off the SheBelieves Cup in Philadelphia on Wednesday night against Japan. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.