[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 181 (Friday, October 15, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1100-E1101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING CARLI LLOYD

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY KIM

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 15, 2021

  Mr. KIM of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
congratulate Carli Lloyd on her retirement from a sixteen-year 
international career in professional soccer as a member of the United 
States Women's National Team.
  Carli grew up in Delran, New Jersey, and while she participated in 
numerous sports, she always gravitated towards soccer. She began 
playing at 5 years old and quickly excelled as a youth player. Later 
she even recalled some of her fondest memories were when she played on 
the Medford Strikers. From the moment she returned home from school, 
Carli could be found on any patch of grass big enough to kick a ball. 
Whether she was playing against men in pickup games or with

[[Page E1101]]

younger siblings in her family's upstairs hallway, Carli's competitive 
nature and ambition to be the best player on the field was always on 
display.
  After playing on Rutgers University's team, Carli's removal from the 
Under 21 Women's National Soccer Team forced her to re-examine her 
approach to achieving her ultimate dream of being on the Women's 
National Team. As we all know, for Carli simply being on the team 
wasn't enough. She has gone on to compete in 312 international games, 
the second highest tally in U.S. soccer history. She played in 25 World 
Cup matches and 22 Olympic matches. She is the highest scoring 
midfielder in U.S. history and just a few months ago scored after 
playing for just 23 seconds, the second fastest goal scorer at the 
start of a match in Women's National Team History. A team general 
manager described Carli as, ``the embodiment of the DNA of a U.S. 
Women's National Team player.''
  For those of us watching in stadiums or on television, we only see a 
fraction of what is truly required to compete at the highest level--the 
hard work, perseverance, self-taught-confidence that each player must 
have. While Carli leaves behind a legendary record, truly a legacy, her 
adherence to self-improvement and love for the sport is perhaps what 
she will forever be remembered.
  Madam Speaker, Carli is an inspiration to all of us in New Jersey, 
particularly our daughters, and represents the best of us. Her 
integrity, humility and dedication to her teammates inspires us to 
become the best version of ourselves, and I wish her the best of luck 
in the next chapter of her life.