Carli Lloyd has had a year to remember. As captain of the US women’s national team, she won the Women’s World Cup, the Golden Ball and the Silver Boot – and now she’s been nominated for Fifa’s best goal of the year for her long-range effort against Japan in July.
Lloyd, who plays her club football for Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League, scored a hat-trick inside 16 minutes in the World Cup final in Vancouver – and her third goal came almost from halfway.
With the US already leading 3-0, Lloyd beat Rumi Utsugi in the center circle, and spotted Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori off limits: so she launched one from just inside the Japan half, and Kaihori couldn’t get back. Four-nil, three goals for Lloyd – and USA would go on to win 5-2.
“I visualized playing in the World Cup final and visualized scoring four goals,” Lloyd said at the time. “It sounds pretty funny, but that’s what it’s all about.”
The Puskas award, named for the Hungarian soccer legend who scored 84 goals in 85 games for the Magyars and led them to the final of the 1954 World Cup, honors the player who scored the best goal in that calendar year. Previous winners include Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and James Rodriguez, who won last year for his bicycle kick against Uruguay in the World Cup last-16.
Lionel Messi is on the list for his slalom against Athletic Bilbao, and Carlos Tevez and Alessandro Florenzi are too – Tevez for his dribble against Parma, and Florenzi for his spectacular long-ranger against Barcelona.
The shortlist will be reduced to a final three on November 30, and the winner will be crowned at Fifa’s Ballon d’Or ceremony on January 11.
