With a hat trick in the World Cup final, Carli Lloyd etched her name in soccer history.
Despite a 3-0-0 record in the group stage, big questions faced the United States after its offense struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities. Alex Morgan was still recovering from injury and Abby Wambach was showing signs of age.
Somebody needed to step up and spark the U.S. attack.
So, head coach Jill Ellis turned to her team captain and star midfielder, Carli Lloyd. In the quarterfinal against China, Ellis made a risky decision, moving Lloyd into a more attacking role with midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe sidelined.