HOMESTEAD, Fla. — As Carli Lloyd sat for an interview behind the XFINITY stage set-up just outside the Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday morning, a long, committed and excited line of assorted people waited for her autograph, a chance to meet one of the United States’ all-time most accomplished soccer players.
Joking a bit about the extreme South Florida humidity, Lloyd, 33, was gracious and truly as interested in learning about NASCAR as sharing her incredible personal story as one of the world’s greatest soccer players.
“When the World Cup finished, my agent busy with a lot of requests, and my first big-time commercial was with XFINITY, and I thought it was so well done and I really enjoyed it,” Lloyd said. “That was the start of the partnership between us. And then this came up and I was thrilled. I said I’d love to do this.
“What’s great about what happened from the World Cup is I’ve gotten to get out of the bubble of just soccer and gotten to experience so many different things, meet different people and go to different events. When would I have ever gotten the chance to see something like this?”
Lloyd was surprised at the number of people waiting on the other side of our interview area for a chance to meet her and get an autograph.
Minutes earlier, she played a little soccer with current XFINITY Series championship leader Chris Buescher — part lesson, part shootout. In the end, Buescher beat her 4-1 — kicking shots into a much larger goal.
“It was really cool chatting with him about his preparation and how he trains and then kick it around with him,” Lloyd said. “The first shot he used his toe and I was like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to use the inside of your foot.’ Then he started killing it. I was thinking, ‘I shouldn’t have given him any pointers.’
“I said, ‘Have you ever kicked a soccer ball?’ He said, ‘Yeah, when I was four.’ “
Lloyd said she mostly enjoyed the opportunity to talk with Buescher, who leads defending XFINITY Series champ Chase Elliott by 18 points entering Saturday’s season finale.
“You don’t realize how cool these races are until you actually come and see these things, see the pits, how fast they change tires, see the drivers and their training and preparation,” Lloyd said. “They are really fit and it takes a lot to drive the car around the track, you don’t just hop in and go. It’s been really cool, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be here.
“Just doing our Q&A, it’s really fascinating to see the parallels, even though they are different sports. The mental aspect of his sport … if he switches off, something terrible could happen on the track. It’s the same thing with us. If you’re not mentally prepared, you could risk being injured on the field.”
After finishing up her time at NASCAR’s season finale — she was Saturday’s official starter, as well — Lloyd and her team will return to the field for four more matches as part of the World Cup-winning team’s U.S. Tour. Then in 2016 it’s time to start preparing for the Olympics — the nation solidly behind them
“We’re in November and the World Cup happened in July and people are still wanting to come see us and I think that speaks volumes,” Lloyd said. “If something isn’t going to be around and popular, it fizzles out in a month or so. That’s not happening and that’s a really good sign.
“It’s really cool people are here in their uniforms and want autographs on their soccer balls. I think it’s great. I’m enjoying being able to do different things and be a part of this.
“I think we captivated a nation and inspired not only young girls, but boys and even adults. That’s just what it’s all about. I want people to hear my story, the ups and downs. You can’t pick things out of successful moments and get better. The moments people don’t see, what they don’t realize is it takes a lot of hard work, ups and downs and obstacles to get to this point. That’s the message I’m trying to get out.”