‘She’s a South Jersey hard ass’: Friends and teammates share stories of the Carli Lloyd they know
On a cool evening earlier this month, thousands of people gathered in a field in Delran, New Jersey. They parked at the local church and mosque down the road and trickled in; the township even had shuttles running from other parking lots farther away. They wanted everyone to be able to come to the party of the season: it was time to celebrate the career of Delran’s favorite daughter, Carli Lloyd. The town had a surplus budget left over from cancelling events during the height of COVID-19 restrictions, and there was a sense that they needed something joyful as a community. When Lloyd told mayor Gary Catrambone that this would be her last year playing for club and country, the stars aligned.
As Delran township honored Lloyd there were food trucks, a live band, and fireworks. Some of the funding and supplies had been donated by local businesses who wanted to contribute. Local bakery L&M sent an enormous soccer-ball sized donut in Lloyd’s favorite flavor (sugar cream).
Written by: Steph Yang, Pablo Maurer, Meg Linehan