From Carli Lloyd to Tim Howard, New Jersey has produced some of the greatest soccer players to ever take to the pitch. Bobby Olivier | NJ.com Canva Illustration
By Brian Fonseca | NJ.com and Keith Sargeant | NJ.com
2. Carli Lloyd, Delran
Lloyd made her mark in New Jersey at Delran High School, where she was a Parade First-Team All-American as a senior. She matriculated to Rutgers, where she was a four-time first-team All-Big East selection and still sits atop the school’s all-time record book in career goals (50) and points (117) and single-season points (37). But it was on the international stage where Lloyd shined brightest. With her trademark intensity and relentlessness, she scored 134 goals across 316 appearances and 16 years with the USWNT, helping the Americans win two Olympic gold medals and two World Cups (2015, 2019). In the 2015 final against Japan, Lloyd scored a hat trick that was capped off by an iconic goal from the midfield line, an incredible performance that sealed her winning the Golden Ball for best player at the tournament. She is one of six players to be named FIFA’s Women’s World Player of the Year multiple times, twice earning the distinction (2015, 2016).
https://www.nj.com/sports/2026/06/new-jerseys-99-greatest-soccer-players-of-all-time-ranked.html
