SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Nobody was kicking herself more than Carli Lloyd. The veteran forward was lamenting her missed chances, even though the U.S.
SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Nobody was kicking herself more than Carli Lloyd. The veteran forward was lamenting her missed chances, even though the U.S. national team defeated New Zealand 6-1 in the group stage of the women’s soccer tournament at the Tokyo Olympics. It was typical of Lloyd, ever the perfectionist, after a match in which the Americans had four first-half goals disallowed for offside. “I’m not proud of myself being offsides that many times. They were pretty decent goals, unfortunately, but we’ve got to better, I’ve got to do better, staying onside,” said Lloyd, who had two goals pulled back. With the rout of the Ferns, the United States got back on track following a 3-0 loss to Sweden in the opener. The Americans, ranked No.1 in the world and the favorites to win the gold, were on shaky ground following the loss, which snapped a 44-game unbeaten streak. The victory over New Zealand helped but there’s still one more group match on Tuesday. The United States faces Australia on Tuesday in Kashima. Lloyd, at 39, is the oldest player on the U.S. team. She has a chance to add to her medal collection in her fourth Olympics. At the 2008 Beijing Games, Lloyd scored in overtime in a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final. Four years later, she scored both goals in the gold-medal match against Japan at Wembley Stadium, becoming the only player to score winning goals in consecutive Olympic finals.
