Carli Lloyd wins FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award
United States women’s national team midfielder Carli Lloyd was named the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year on Monday.
Lloyd, 33, led the U.S. to victory in the Women’s World Cup in July, memorably scoring a hat trick in the final against Japan. Lloyd’s strike from midfield in that match was among 10 nominees for FIFA Goal of the Year. She won the tournament’s Golden Ball and Silver Boot awards and became the first player in Women’s World Cup history to score in four straight knockout round games. She joins Mia Hamm (2001, 2002) and Abby Wambach (2012) as U.S. women to have won FIFA's top individual honors.
Lloyd scored 18 goals on the calendar year to lead the U.S. women’s national team in her 11th year as a member of the squad. She also assisted on five goals. The United States went 20–4–2 in 2015 with both losses coming in friendly matches to open and close their schedule.
• PODCAST: Lloyd on her award-winning 2015, meeting Messi
In December, Lloyd was named U.S. Soccer’s 2015 female player of the year, and Saturday she was named co-captain of the national team along with Becky Sauerbrunn.
Also at Monday's FIFA gala, United States coach Jill Ellis was named FIFA’s World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football. Pia Sundhage (2012) is the only other U.S. manager to win the award, which has been given out since 2010.
- Jeremy Woo
