After a legendary career with the United States women’s national team, future Hall of Famer Carli Lloyd announced her retirement from soccer on Monday. Lloyd will finish out the NWSL season and play in four USWNT friendlies this fall, so it’s not goodbye just yet.

Throughout her 17-year career with the national team, Lloyd authored perhaps more iconic moments than any other player in USWNT history.

Here, we’re counting down the five we’ll never forget:

5. Her 300th cap

Earlier this year, in a friendly against Sweden, Lloyd reached 300 caps with the USWNT, becoming just the third player behind Kristine Lilly and Christie Pearce to do so.

In total, Lloyd has amassed 312 caps and counting for the USWNT, second all-time in both U.S. and world history behind only Lilly. In that time, Lloyd has played with more than 100 different teammates.

Lloyd has scored 128 times on the international stage with the USWNT, including some of the most important goals in team history and the last two scored in Tokyo. Speaking of:

4. Tokyo Olympic swan song

Though her final Olympic appearance didn’t come in the gold-medal game, Lloyd helped the USWNT capture bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.

Megan Rapinoe opened the scoring for the U.S. against Australia, scoring two early goals. Not one to be outdone, Lloyd scored the final two goals of her Olympic career to help the USWNT beat Australia 4-3 and secure the bronze.

With the brace, Lloyd became the all-time leading goal scorer in USWNT Olympic history, with 10 goals across four tournaments.

3. 2012 Olympic-winning brace 

Facing Japan in the gold-medal match at the 2012 London Olympics, only a year after losing in a shootout in the World Cup final, Lloyd scored twice to help the USWNT get revenge and win gold.

Lloyd’s back-to-back goals made her the first player, male or female, to score a brace in an Olympic final. She also became the highest-scoring midfielder in USWNT history, overtaking Julie Foudy’s 45-goal record.

2. 2008 Olympic winner 

During the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Lloyd first scored a game-winner in the USWNT’s 1-0 win over Japan in the group stage. That proved to be a valuable warm-up for the final against Brazil.

There, in extra time, Lloyd buried a rocket from outside the box to secure the gold medal for the U.S.

It was quite the year for Lloyd, who bagged nine goals and nine assists while earning her 100th senior cap for the USWNT.

1. The historic hat trick

The 2015 World Cup was historic for both the USWNT and Lloyd. In the championship game against Japan, a rematch of the 2011 final, Lloyd went on an unprecedented (and still unmatched) one-woman tear, putting together one of the most brilliant performances in the history of soccer.

Lloyd scored first in the third minute, then again in the fifth, before securing her hat trick in the 16th minute with one of the most ridiculous goals ever scored in a final: a half-field chip of the Japanese goalkeeper.

Lloyd’s hat trick was the first-ever in a World Cup final. And she did it all in 16 minutes.

“When Carli kind of went on her tear, I was just thinking like, ‘This is the most bizarre game I’ve ever been a part of’,” said USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn in 2019.

“You’re obviously not focusing on scoring a hat trick in a World Cup final,” Lloyd said of the game. “I’m a pure winner. I am so hungry and so competitive, and once I get into those moments, nothing will stand in my way.”

That year, all Lloyd did was win, claiming the Golden Ball as the tournament’s MVP before being named FIFA’s Player of the Year.

LOVB volleyball is coming back to cable, as the pro volleyball league announced a Wednesday night primetime partnership with USA Network for its 2026 season.

From January through April, USA Network will air a "Match of the Week" nearly every Wednesday evening, starting with a 2025 championship rematch between runners-up LOVB Nebraska and title-winners LOVB Austin on January 7th, 2026.

USA Network will also broadcast a portion of LOVB's 2026 postseason, including one semifinal and both games in the league's new two-match championship series.

Gearing up for its second season, LOVB features a talented player pool amid an increasingly crowded pro volleyball market.

One in every five LOVB athletes are Olympians, with 90% of the league's international players and 75% of its US players boasting national team experience.

Even more, growing demand for the sport has expansion on the horizon for the six-team league, with LOVB preparing to launch its seventh franchise in Los Angeles — backed by Angel City and Chelsea FC investor Alexis Ohanian — in 2027.

How to watch the 2026 LOVB season on USA Network

The second season of LOVB opens when inaugural champions Austin take on runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on January 7th, 2026.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.

With the rookie card of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark still doing numbers, trading card manufacturer Panini America is debuting Caitlin Clark Chronicled this week, dropping a limited-edition release on Monday that features a 22-page collectible book and 100-card set of the WNBA standout.

The book spans images of Clark on and off the court, and includes eight four-card packs and 32 randomly inserted trading cards, as well as autographed exclusives.

"I'm excited to launch 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' with Panini America and share some of my favorite moments on and off the court from my first two years in the WNBA," Clark said in Monday's statement. "We wanted to create something different that combined great photography with trading cards, including some special exclusives. I am proud of this collection and hope fans enjoy it."

The WNBA superstar is an exclusive Panini partner in the trading card and autographed memorabilia space, with Clark making headlines last July when her one-of-one autographed rookie card sold for more than $600,000 — setting a new world record for a women's sports card.

How to buy Panini's 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' card set

Panini's limited edition Clark collection is currently available for purchase at Target stores and Target.com.

Tensions remain high between the WNBA and WNBPA, after The Athletic reported on Monday that the latest CBA proposal from Players Association more than doubles the league's revenue share offer — suggesting a deepening rift in negotiations.

The union outlined a deal that would give players around 30% of total WNBA and team revenue — a significant leap from the league's proposed 15% share.

According to sources, the WNBPA also suggested linking the salary cap to the previous season's total revenue, factoring in player benefits and the number of teams in the league.

The move intends to undercut an accusation from the WNBA that the players have yet to put forward an economically viable revenue sharing model.

The union's proposal begins at 29% of the prior season's total league grosses, then grows to 34% by the final year of the CBA with a one-time adjustment for the new 11-year, $2.2 billion WNBA media rights deal.

Notably, the league recently rejected a flat 33% revenue share CBA proposal, prompting this week's 1%-per-year increase system in response.

It's clear that the WNBA office and the WNBPA are at odds, but the union is showing their work as both sides strive for a CBA that will keep players on the court in 2026.

Olympic swimming icon Katie Ledecky has done it again, becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mile with a time of 14:59.62 at her namesake Katie Ledecky Invitational in Maryland.

Smashing her own US record of 15:01.41, Sunday's sub-15 minute mile gives Ledecky the 1,650-meter freestyle's eight fastest times, with US teammate Erica Sullivan earning the ninth-best in 2019.

"This is a special one for sure," Ledecky said afterwards. "This has been a goal of mine, to break 15 minutes in the 1,650, for probably eight or nine years. So, just putting in the hard work, believing that I could do it someday, and to do it at this meet, is really special."

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The 28-year-old Washington, DC, product is the most decorated women's swimmer in the history of the sport, prompting Nation's Capital Swimming — where Ledecky got her start at age six — to name their annual event in her honor earlier this year.

"I definitely was a little nervous before the race, just knowing there were a lot of eyes on me and all that," she continued. "But I knew I could just relax and have fun with it, and whatever happened, happened."

How to watch Katie Ledecky in action

Ledecky's next major competition will likely be the TYR Pro Swim Series, which kicks off in Austin on January 14th, 2026.

The domestic competition series will be covered across NBC Sports platforms.