Carli Lloyd continues to make herself indispensable in changing USWNT
The U.S. Women's National Team is in a period of great transition right now. They've seen some of the greatest players women's soccer has ever seen hang the boots up and call it quits, leaving the door open to a new generation of players to come in and stake their claim for a spot. The U.S. may be leaving the past behind, and changing, but one thing isn't: Carli Lloyd.
Since the failures of the 2016 Olympics, Jill Ellis has moved to usher in a new brand of more progressive, possession-based soccer. The U.S., to varying degrees of effectiveness, are now a team that pointedly attempts to build out of the back, keeping the ball for extended periods of time rather than the previous, more direct style of teams past. It's a style they're clearly still working to get used to, but it's a necessary growing pain for the team to move forward.
There's been a lot of turnover in the national team. Ellis has tried Allie Long, Sam Mewis, continued to use Lindsey Horan, and given the increasingly impressive Andi Sullivan minutes in midfield. She's tried a number of combinations, but one constant has been Lloyd. However, as the U.S., and the team struggles to mould itself around her, or vice-versa, her place has come into question. Because she just doesn't quite fit.
She's not a great defender, or a particularly adept passer. She doesn't dictate the pace of the game, nor does she directly fit into any one specific midfield role. Lloyd isn't a traditional No. 10, but she often is used in that fashion because it allows her the freedom to be Carli Lloyd.
Carli Lloyd is a special player. And for special players, you make special allowances.
Lloyd can be a frustrating player. She'll often shoot in ill-advised situations, is prone to losing the ball in midfield, and isn't the best defender. But the reason you make special provision for players like her, is because they're just that: special.
You make special allowances for Lloyd because she can do things like that. Or a hat trick in the World Cup final. Or the myriad other goals she's scored for the national team, in all sorts of situations.
Despite the fact that her inclusion can imbalance the team, Lloyd is the type of player that teammates are happy to carry (to a point), and whose foibles coaches are happy to accept because of the moments of magic they can produce out of nowhere. You don't push that player out of your team. You ride that magic as long as you can.
Lloyd is 34 years old now, and three years for the next World Cup is a long way away. She's a consummate professional though, and if she can continue to stay healthy and as long as she's doing Carli Lloyd things, she should have a place in the national team.
MORE FROM FOX SOCCER
