Carli Lloyd

As the midfielder at the top of the U.S. diamond formation, Carli Lloyd is a central figure on the U.S. women's national team. With her relentless attacks on the net and ability to strike from a distance, she has been a difference-maker in some of Team USA's closest games over the past few years.

Lloyd netted one of the biggest goals in U.S. soccer history, an overtime game-winner against Brazil in the 2008 Olympic gold medal final. It was her second Olympic goal; the first kept U.S. gold-medal hopes alive by putting them over Japan 1-0 during group play. Overall, 2008 was Lloyd's best year on the national team with nine goals and nine assists over 35 games. She was selected as the top U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year.

A breakout performance on the international stage in 2007 established Lloyd as a regular starter for the USWNT (her first appearance was in July, 2005). Having started the year inauspiciously with only one goal in her first 24 matches, the 2007 Algarve Cup was a turning point. Lloyd scored four goals in the tournament, one in each game, earning top-scorer and MVP honors.

A New Jersey native, Lloyd played college ball at Rutgers, where she was a three-time NSCAA All-American and the 2004 Big East Midfielder of the Year. The first Scarlet Knight to be named First-Team All-Big East each of her four years, Lloyd finished her collegiate career as Rutgers' all-time leader in points (117), goals (50) and career shots.

In recent years, injuries have hampered Lloyd's participation, particularly in the Women's Professional Soccer league. She logged only 200 minutes with the Sky Blue FC in 2010 after breaking her ankle early in the season. Lloyd still managed to play in 15 games with the USNWT, concluding that year with her 100th career cap in the second leg of the World Cup playoff against Italy.

Currently playing with the Atlanta Beat for the 2011 WPS season, Lloyd was a regular starter for the U.S. at the 2011 World Cup. She scored one goal but had an up-and-down tournament for her country, which advanced to the final before falling to Japan on penalty kicks.