USWNT star Carli Lloyd announces retirement from professional soccer

U.S. Women's National Team star Carli Lloyd announced her retirement from professional soccer. 

The 39-year-old will compete in four fall friendly matches for the USWNT and also play the remainder of the National Women's Soccer League season with NJ/NY Gotham before officially hanging up the cleats. 

"When I first started out with the National Team in 2005, my two main goals were to be the most complete soccer player I could be and to help the team win championships." Lloyd said, via USSoccer.com. "Every single day I stepped out onto the field, I played as if it was my last game. I never wanted to take anything for granted, especially knowing how hard it is to get to the top, but even harder to stay at the top for so long."

She added: 

"I would like to thank U.S. Soccer for helping to provide the opportunities and memories that will last a lifetime. I am forever grateful to have represented the crest and to be able to play for my country for the last 17 years. I will continue to support and cheer this team on and continue to find ways to help grow the game and inspire the next generation. 

"To end my career knowing my family was able to be by my side and share this last chapter with me could not have been any more special. We will all have a lot more time to spend together now, and especially with my husband Brian, who has been my rock and biggest support system for all these years. We are both looking forward to starting this next chapter of our lives without my everyday grind of training and playing, but I will most likely need to another outlet for my competitiveness! Perhaps that will be golf?"

Lloyd is one of the greatest players to ever take the field for the USWNT. She is the second-most capped player in world soccer history with 312 caps, trailing only Kristine Lilly (354). She is also just one of four international soccer players to play 300 or more times for her country. 

Lloyd is a two-time FIFA World Cup Champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She recently won bronze with the USWNT at this summer's Tokyo Olympics. 

The New Jersey native's 128 career international goals are fourth all time in U.S. history and tied for fifth all time in world history. Her 64 career assists are sixth all time for the USWNT.

Lloyd's most memorable moment for the national team came when she scored a hat trick in the first half of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final. Her hat trick was capped off by a goal from midfield to make the score 4-0 in an eventual 5-2 win over Japan.