The mood at Gotham FC was celebratory as the team happy to have Carli Lloyd, a Delran native, back to the Philadelphia area as the final weeks of her playing career wind down. Lloyd will wrap up her illustrious career later this month, but a final match in front of her home crowd is a must.
All of Gotham’s players wore shirts during pregame warmups with Lloyd’s name and legendary No. 10 on the back. During the starting lineup photo before kickoff, they all surrounded her, turned their backs to the cameras and pointed at her or her name as she faced forward.
The crowd of 9,532 basically erupts every time Carli Lloyd touches the ball, as she made 42 touches, 3 shots, and won 7 duels.
“I’m very grateful we could give Carli the opportunity to play in front of her hometown crowd one last time,” Gotham FC interim general manager Yael Averbuch West said.
Lloyd with an expressive silence, took a long deep breath and momentarily got choked up as she stood on the field alone and the fans cheered.
“It’s been an unbelievable journey, something I never could have dreamed of,” said Carli Lloyd in front of a packed Subaru Park.
“The crowd tonight, this is what we need at every NWSL game,” she said. “We need your support, we need you to keep coming out, supporting these amazing women here.
“I know it was an inconvenience to some, moving from Red Bull [Arena, Gotham’s home] to down here, but it truly meant the world to me,” Lloyd said, “and I cannot express how thankful and grateful I am for that.”
Having been estranged from many of them for over a decade. Lloyd reconnected with her family during the pandemic, and has spoken often this year about how much it means to her.
“I think the greatest gift that I’ve had towards the end of my career is having my family here by my side.”
Lloyd spoke of how much she’ll miss the bright lights and the big crowds; and the little moments of grinding every day that took her to the pinnacle of international sports: two World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, and two FIFA women’s player of the year awards.
MOLATsportgist 