For a time when she was younger, Carli Lloyd wasn't sure she belonged on the U.S. national team.
And just two weeks ago she wasn't sure where she fit into the U.S. attack in this Women's World Cup.
But on Sunday Lloyd finally found her place — in the record books — after scoring three goals in the first 16 minutes of the World Cup final, leading the U.S. to a convincing 5-2 win over Japan before an overwhelmingly pro-American crowd of 53,341 at BC Place.
The five goals were the most scored by one team in a Women's World Cup final, while for Lloyd the hat trick, the first in a title game, gave her six goals, tied for most in the tournament.
Three of those scores put her team ahead to stay, making Lloyd an easy winner as the World Cup's best player and making the U.S. the first country to win three women's world titles.
“It's a little surreal moment,” Lloyd said. “It's been amazing. We just wrote history today and brought this World Cup trophy home.”
Almost as important, Sunday's performance chased away the stubborn ghosts of 1999 that have haunted the U.S. women since they last won a World Cup.
“It's been a lot of years in between '99 and now. And I think it's time,” said defender Christie Rampone, the only woman to play for both teams and, at 40, the oldest woman to play in a World Cup.
“I hope it's not compared to '99 anymore. I hope it's leading on to the next team that wins the World Cup. That's the standard.”
Lloyd may have set a new standard Sunday.
Her first two goals came on similar set pieces — the first on a corner kick by Megan Rapinoe in the third minute and the second on a free kick by Lauren Holiday two minutes later. On both plays Lloyd started at the edge of the penalty area, then charged into the box unmarked to latch on to loose balls and redirect them in.
But her third goal was clearly the best of the tournament. As she dribbled toward midfield, Lloyd looked up to see that Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori had strayed dangerously far from the net. So she fired a right-footed shot from 50 yards out.
Kaihori, backpedaling furiously, got the fingers of her right hand on the ball but that wasn't enough to stop it, as it hit the turf then kissed the left post before going in to give the U.S. a 4-0 lead.
For Japan it was a nightmare — one it had seen before. Lloyd, who scored the only goal in the U.S. victory over Brazil in the 2008 Olympic final, scored twice to beat Japan in the 2012 gold-medal game.
That's six goals and three wins in three finals — two of them against Japan.
“She always does this to us,” Japan Coach Norio Sasaki said. “We are a little embarrassed. But she is an excellent player.”
