Carli Lloyd has hat trick, USA women rout Haiti 8-0

Lloyd’s first was a penalty kick resulting from a Morgan takedown and her third a scrappy header in the 22nd minute.

One minute later Crystal Dunn put in her second goal in as many games after receiving a brilliant through ball from Megan Rapinoe. That, in turn, gave way to the final weeks of the National Women’s Soccer League season with the Houston Dash.

USA’s Victory Tour to celebrate their 2015 Federation Internationale de Football Association Women’s World Cup™ title continued in style with an 8-0 victory against Haiti in Birmingham.

“It’s all about improvement for me”, Lloyd said.

Oh well. It beats being bored.

TRIVIA. Lloyd has scored 16 goals in 2015, a career-high for a calendar year. Her grandmother recently passed away.

The now three time World Cup champions have been on a “Victory Tour” since August 16th. Finally, Heather O’Reilly scored to complete the shellacking.

It only took 53 seconds for the U.S.to find the net. The lack of a competitive matchup took an edge of this back-to-back matches, however, the fans in Detroit and Birmingham stocked the stands and, for the USA team, the youthful Haitian squad allowed US coach Jill Ellis to have some fun. “It’s a comfortable spot”.

“We were hoping she would make this game, but she didn’t”, Brian said. Lloyd was then substituted with Amy Rodriguez coming on for her. At the same time she scored her fifth global goal.

Yes, Haiti fielded a team of mostly teenagers. “It’s not casual fans, and they come dressed out, kitted out, ready to go”. US defender Julie Johnston opened the flood gates for the United States by finishing off Kelly O’Hara center in the first minute to make it 1-0. The second half was much of the same, with Haiti struggling to get out of its own half of the field. She will not be playing due to “minor muscle soreness”. “She’s good at picking up loose balls with her mentality”.

“Why not?” Ellis said with a grin about the Sauerbrunn experiment.

Lloyd was asked after the game about her “breakthrough” performance in the World Cup. She also made recent appearances ranging from “Hard Knocks” on HBO to ESPN’s “College GameDay Saturday” before the Mississippi-Alabama game. She would, she added, continue to “fight like an underdog”.

In the end, the two things that stood out most Sunday involved the team’s two best players throughout the World Cup.

US will lose central midfielder Lauren Holiday to retirement this year and they have lacked a dedicated defensive midfielder since veteran Shannon Boxx eased out of the national team fold for a series of reasons, including injury, pregnancy, and now retirement. After Rodriguez’s goal the Americans offense kept creating chances but with a more relaxed tempo. She has now surpassed Cindy Parlow for sixth scorer of all time for the USWNT. “And I think even, just now, it’s kind of catching up to me”.

Why not? I wanted to see her in there.