Who wouldn’t want to be like Carli Lloyd? The 2015 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year and World Cup Golden Ball Winner has it all, barring the occasional misspelling of her name at Starbucks.
Kobe Bryant is hooking her up with tickets to Lakers’ games, Nike has provided her with a fresh pair of customized boots and she’s even got her own Fathead wall decal now.
Thank you @kobebryant for the tickets last night. You are a legend! pic.twitter.com/pycS57YfMn
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) January 18, 2016It’s not just youth players who are striving to emulate Carli Lloyd and find the means to match her success. Sam Mewis, 23, and Stephanie McCaffrey, 22, are two of the 26 players that were recently named to head coach Jill Ellis’ 17-day January training camp. With only 8 collective caps between the two of them, they’re looking for any competitive edge to better their chances of representing the U.S. WNT on the road to Rio de Janeiro this February.
What better way to gain experience, expertise and wisdom than to creep on Carli Lloyd? Mewis and McCaffrey quickly learn the importance of tight sweats, ice baths, eating your greens and, of course, “midfield shots!”.
U.S. Soccer’s “Doing What Carli Does” Video
Carli Lloyd has quickly become the grizzled veteran on a team whose average age has dropped from 29.2 years old during the World Cup to 26.1 during this January's training camp. Mewis and McCaffrey are part of a new influx of youth that's looking to push the US forward and add to roster competition.
The USWNT returns to actions on Saturday, January 23, against the Republic of Ireland in San Diego. The squad will then look to book their place at the 2016 Summer Olympics in February before hosting the SheBelieves Cup, an elite, four-team tournament in the southeastern United States.
It promises to be an exciting 2016 for the USWNT and, hopefully, one that’s just as successful as 2015.
