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Why Carli Lloyd Is the USWNT’s Most Unexpected All-Time Great

JESSE LOUIE/JUST WOMEN’S SPORTS

Carli Lloyd is well known as a player who elevates her game in the big moments. She has a reserve of magic that only comes out when the stakes are the highest, and is the only player in the world who can boast of scoring two Olympic-winning goals in her career, to go along with an iconic hat trick in the 2015 World Cup final. Her numerous accolades, including two-time FIFA Player of the Year, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and two-time World Cup Champion, easily qualify her for the short list of greatest USWNT players ever.

But in contrast to other household names like Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, and Mia Hamm, Lloyd has constantly been at war for her minutes on the field, her starting role status often ephemeral and uncertain, irregardless of her resume.

Two years into her tenure on the U21 national team, Coach Chris Petrucelli sat Lloyd down and told her he was cutting her from the roster. Fortunately for Lloyd, a teammate’s injury led to her being reinstated a short time later, but the sting from that moment wasn’t as easily remedied.

“I left that meeting absolutely hating him, blaming him, blaming others,” Lloyd admits to her longtime USWNT teammate Kelley O’Hara on the JWS podcast. Her initial response, externalizing the cause of her failure, was typical of a young adult still finding her place in the world. But soon after the incident, Lloyd began working with a new private coach, James Galanis, and a switch was flipped.

“I had to learn how to train, how to become a pro,” she tells O’Hara, “I had to learn that this needs to be a 24 hour, seven-day-a-week job.”

With this new, total commitment to fitness and training, Lloyd dedicated herself to working harder than she’d ever worked before. And after eventually making the senior national team in 2005, she was never cut from the roster again.

Battling for minutes and a starting spot became her next challenge. In 2007, during her first FIFA Women’s World Cup in China, she started all three group-stage games, but then unexpectedly played only limited minutes for the rest of the tournament.

When a coaching change brought Pia Sundhage to the helm of the squad, Lloyd enjoyed a phase of consistency in her starting role on the team, which culminated in the 2008 Olympics, when Lloyd scored the tournament-winning goal in extra time against Brazil to give the U.S. a 1-0 victory and the gold medal.

Even through their 2011 World Cup finals loss to Japan, Lloyd’s starting spot was secure. But leading up to the 2012 London Olympics, things suddenly got shaky. In an Olympic send-off match in Philly, with much of her New Jersey circle in attendance, Lloyd played a poor first half, got pulled at the break and lost her starting spot.

Across the pond, in their first match of the games, a teammate’s injury once again played into Lloyd’s favor and returned her to the field. Rising to the occasion once again, she scored the go-ahead goal in that opening match versus France and later scored both goals in the U.S.’s 2-1 victory over Japan in the gold medal game.

“The minute I got on that field at 16 minutes [vs. France],” she tells O’Hara, “My mindset for that whole tournament was to never give the coaches any ammunition to take me off that field.”

Unless you were living on Mars or were too young, chances are you still remember Lloyd’s iconic performance at the 2015 World Cup. Her hat trick against Japan was equally unbelievable and intoxicating, a pinnacle of athletic excellence which culminated in her stunning third goal from the midfield line.

After winning FIFA Player of the Year, the highest individual honor in soccer, in both 2015 and 2016, making a fourth World Cup team in 2019 at age 36 would have been icing on the cake for just about any other player. After an injury derailed her in 2017, it would have been easy for Lloyd to accept a role as a veteran super sub, especially given her age and injuries, not to mention the ridiculously talented newcomers. Abby Wambach adopted just such a role for her farewell run in 2015. But Lloyd had no intention of the 2019 World Cup being a farewell run. And after coming off the bench for reduced minutes throughout the tournament, while helping the U.S. win its fourth World Cup title, she spoke blatantly about how unhappy she had been throughout the experience.

“When I returned from my injury in 2017, I felt like I had seen the writing on the wall,” she explains to O’Hara, “I was going to be pegged as old and washed up and not good enough. And it just didn’t seem like I ever really had a fair shot at earning a starting spot.”

Unsurprisingly, Lloyd is still not ready to relinquish the reins, and is unabashedly pursuing a starting spot for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. And with new head coach Vlatko Andonovski running the show, she knows anything is possible, including a fresh start at age 38.

“With this team you’ve got to prepare for anything and everything,” Lloyd tells a knowing O’Hara, “You don’t know what’s going to happen. At any moment something can change.”

Whether Lloyd makes the list of the greatest USWNT players ever is really only a matter of how short the list is. But one thing stands out on her application to the club: Lloyd has garnered an incomparable amount of glory on a surprisingly minimal amount of sure footing.

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JESSE LOUIE/JUST WOMEN’S SPORTS

Women’s Basketball Greats Moore, Bird Top 2025 Hall of Fame Nominations

2025 Naismith Hall of Fame nominees Maya Moore and Sue Bird stand on the court during a 2012 WNBA Playoff game.
Maya Moore and Sue Bird are in the running to enter the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Several women’s basketball greats earned nominations to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, with Maya Moore, Sue Bird, and Sylvia Fowles among the Class of 2025’s 17 finalists for first-ballot induction.

After leading UConn to back-to-back undefeated NCAA seasons en route to the 2009 and 2010 national titles, Moore won four WNBA championships across seven seasons with the Minnesota Lynx. The 2014 WNBA MVP and six-time league All-Star also earned a pair of Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016 before exiting the game to pursue criminal justice reform in 2018.

Fellow Husky alum Bird also won two NCAA titles at UConn before picking up five Olympic gold medals with Team USA and four WNBA championships in her 21-season career with the Seattle Storm. Despite retiring in 2022, Bird remains the WNBA's career assists leader with 3,234 dimes, and her 13 All-Star nods still sets the league record.

Before joining Moore in leading the Lynx to WNBA championships in 2015 and 2017 — and earning Finals MVP awards during both runs — Fowles helped her alma mater LSU to four straight Final Four appearances. Her 14-year pro career included four Olympic golds, eight All-Star nods, four Defensive Player of the Year awards, plus the 2017 WNBA MVP trophy. When Fowles exited the sport in 2022, she did so as the WNBA's career rebounds leader, with a total of 4,006 boards.

Also on the 2025 Naismith ballot is Stanford standout and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Azzi, who spent five years in the WNBA before retiring from play in 2004. Azzi now serves as the chief business development officer for the Las Vegas Aces.

Naismith committee to decide Hall of Fame class

A 24-member Honors Committee will assess all 17 finalists. Those who garner at least 18 committee votes will earn admittance into the Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2025 will be announced in during the NCAA men’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, April 5th, with an official enshrinement ceremony to follow at a later date.

Report: Cleveland Wins WNBA Expansion Team Bid

The Cleveland Rockers walk across the court during a 2001 WNBA game.
Cleveland has reportedly won the bid for the 16th WNBA team. (Lisa Blumenfeld/ALLSPORT)

The WNBA appears poised to accept a bid from Cleveland to become the league's 16th franchise, with Sports Business Journal (SBJ) putting the Midwestern city’s chances of earning an expansion team "as high as 90%."

Led by Dan Gilbert, the majority owner of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, the investor group will reportedly revive the name and branding of the Cleveland Rockers ahead of the team’s 2028 debut. The Rockers were one of the WNBA's inaugural teams, competing from the league's 1997 debut season until the team's 2003 folding.

SBJ also cited an estimated expansion fee of $250 million, setting a new league record by fully doubling the $125 million fee shelled out by Portland, the WNBA's incoming 15th franchise.

That massive check combined with access to top-notch facilities likely elevated Cleveland’s bid, which includes plans for the incoming Rockers to operate out of the Cavs' current training facility after the NBA team moves to a new center in 2027.

Big expansion team bids spark additional WNBA growth

SBJ's report also indicated that the WNBA has begun considering growth beyond their previously stated three-year, 16-team strategy, with an eye toward stretching to 18 squads in the short-term and 20 franchises by 2030.

Like Cleveland's bid, immediate access to NBA infrastructure has reportedly placed two markets at the front of the line for an expansion nod: a revival of the four-time WNBA champion Houston Comets and a net-new Philadelphia team. That said, three other former WNBA franchises — the Detroit Shock, the Miami Sol, and the Charlotte Sting — are rumored to be in the mix as well.

However, those ex-WNBA cities face stiff competition with bids from new markets like Austin, Nashville, Kansas City, Jacksonville, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Denver entering the race in recent months.

Seizing the moment after a banner 2024 season, the WNBA is appearing to fast-track expansion rather than put prospective owners with deep pockets on hold — and turning some heads in the process as fears about growing too big, too quickly start to crop up.

UConn Rattles AP Poll Rankings with Top 5 Upset Over South Carolina

UConn basketball guard Azzi Fudd dribbles up the court against South Carolina.
Azzi Fudd posted 28 points to help UConn defeat South Carolina on Sunday. (Jeff Blake/Imagn Images)

No. 4 UConn bagged their first signature win of the season on Sunday, taking down then-No. 4 South Carolina 87-58 to snap the Gamecocks’ 71-game home winning streak. Dating back to 2020, South Carolina's string of home victories was the fourth longest in Division I women's basketball history.

"They had their way with us," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said after the game. "There's no trying to find a silver lining to it. We got beat. We got beat bad."

Leading the beatdown was Husky guard Azzi Fudd, who notched a game-high 28 points while teammates Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong each snagged double-doubles en route to UConn's massive victory.

Despite dominating the Big East this season, UConn has struggled against non-conference foes, picking up losses against Notre Dame, USC, and, for the first time since 2007, Tennessee.

"We needed to prove that to ourselves, that we could never let up for 40 minutes," Fudd said on Sunday.

"More than anything else, it was evident today that we played to win," echoed UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

Texas forward Madison Booker drives past LSU's Flau'Jae Johnson in Sunday's NCAA basketball tilt.
With Sunday's win over LSU, Texas is on track to contend for the SEC regular-season title. (Adam Davis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Top 10 upsets set the stage for March Madness

UConn wasn’t the only team showing out against Top 10 teams on Sunday, as then-No. 3 Texas took down former No. 5 LSU 65-58 in just the second SEC loss of the Tigers' season.

Now riding on three straight Top 8 wins, including humbling the reigning champion Gamecocks on February 9th, Texas currently sits atop the SEC standings. With less than two weeks of 2024/25 play left, the Longhorns have a real shot at the conference's regular-season trophy, as well as the key postseason seeding that title bestows.

Overall, the weekend’s slate tossed any presumptions about March Madness out the window, with top-ranked contenders stepping up to bust brackets before they’ve even been created. The only thing to expect? The unexpected.

Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo raises her arm in celebration during Monday's win over Duke.
Notre Dame is ranked No. 1 in the AP basketball poll for the first time since 2019. (Michael Miller/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Elite action paves Notre Dame's rise to No. 1

Last week’s NCAA onslaught brought bedlam to Monday's AP Top 25, with Notre Dame enjoying the view from the top after earning their first No. 1 ranking since 2019.

Sunday's top matchups sent South Carolina and LSU down two spots each to Nos. 6 and 7, respectively, while UConn earned an equitable rise to No. 5 with their defeat of the Gamecocks. Meanwhile, by taming the Tigers, Texas scaled up one spot to sit just behind Notre Dame at No. 2.

As for then-undefeated No. 1 UCLA, the Bruins fell two spots to No. 3 after their Thursday loss to crosstown rival USC, who leapt from No. 6 to No. 4 with the win.

Notre Dame is flying high for now, but with an unranked loss amid their ranked wins, their grip on the top slot is far from ironclad.

The Irish did manage to cement their No. 1 status with a 64-49 dismantling of No. 11 Duke just hours after Monday’s poll update, flexing their national prowess with a big ACC win.

However, UCLA and Texas each received multiple first-place votes this week, proving the AP's No. 1 ranking is far from unanimous as teams stare down their last few regular-season games.

With March fast approaching, conference tournament seeding could boil down to Top 10 wins — and teams will need every bit of leverage they can manage as the NCAA tournament looms.

UCLA guard Kiki Rice shoots over Michigan State's Grace Van Slooten on Sunday.
UCLA bounced back from their first season loss with a narrow win over Michigan State on Sunday. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

AP College Basketball Top 25: Week 16

1. Notre Dame (23-2, ACC)
2. Texas (26-2, SEC)
3. UCLA (24-1, Big Ten)
4. USC (23-2, Big Ten)
5. UConn (24-3, Big East)
6. South Carolina (23-3, SEC)
7. LSU (25-2, SEC)
8. Ohio State (22-3, Big Ten)
9. North Carolina (23-4, ACC)
10. TCU (24-3, Big 12)
11. Duke (20-6, ACC)
12. Kansas State (24-4, Big 12)
13. NC State (20-5, ACC)
14. Kentucky (20-4, SEC)
15. Tennessee (19-6, SEC)
16. Oklahoma (19-6, SEC)
17. West Virginia (21-5, Big 12)
18. Alabama (21-5, SEC)
19. Baylor (22-5, Big 12)
20. Georgia Tech (21-5, ACC)
21. Maryland (20-6, Big Ten)
22. Michigan State (19-6, Big Ten)
23. Creighton (21-4, Big East)
24. Oklahoma State (20-5, Big 12)
25. Illinois (21-5, Big Ten)

Gotham FC Signs Record-Breaking Sponsorship Deal with Dove

Emily Sonnett shows off the new Dove sponsorship above her last name on her Gotham jersey.
Dove's partnership with Gotham is the brand's first major investment in a women's sports team. (Gotham FC)

Gotham and Dove are teaming up, with the 2023 NWSL champs signing a record-setting multi-year kit partnership with the beauty brand on Thursday.

As Dove's first major investment in a women's sports team, the move also ranks as the highest-ever back-of-jersey sponsorship deal in NWSL history.

While Gotham did not provide specific numbers, the contract surpasses Bay FC's then-record $500,000 deal with private equity giant Sixth Street.

Dove joins Gotham in fight to keep girls in sports

The partnership is a part of Gotham's "Keep Her in the Game" initiative, a community effort launched last August to help adolescent girls stay in sports. Dove will serve as the program's presenting sponsor.

"Dove is the ultimate leader in female strength and empowerment, and we could not be prouder to partner with the brand in a number of impactful ways," Gotham FC chief business officer Ryan Dillon said in the team's release. "We are excited to team up with Dove to create key pathways for young female athletes to stay in sports, develop confidence, and become strong future leaders."

"The partnership is taking effect at a crucial time when supporting girls in sports has never been more important."

With girls twice as likely as boys to abandon sports by age 14, "Keep Her in the Game" aims to bolster young athletes' resilience and amplify the joy and connection that happens on and off the playing field.

After impacting 30 local New Jersey and New York youth clubs and more than 500 players in 2024, the initiative is aiming to double its reach in 2025. It will also pass the proverbial mic to the young athletes themselves by creating a Youth Leadership Council.

"The data is clear: Sports build confidence, leadership skills and resilience in young women, benefiting them for years to come," stated Laura DiMiceli, the head of personal care sports marketing for Dove's parent company, Unilever North America. "Dove is committed to supporting 'Keep Her in the Game' as part of our overall mission to help young girls pursue sports and keep playing the games they love."

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