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Lloyd's heroics were more than enough to boost the Americans to a 4-0 win over Mexico Tuesday night and set up a semifinal showdown against Costa Rica for a spot at the London Olympics this summer.
The victory in the final group game of CONCACAF Olympic women's qualifying was a tonic of sorts for the Americans, who 15 months earlier were upset in Women's World Cup qualifying by Mexico in Cancun. It was their first loss in 25 games against Mexico, and forced the United States in a playoff with Italy for the last berth in Germany.
"It was redemption for us," Lloyd said of Tuesday's win. "We came out strong. We knew we had to get it done. There's no second chances for Olympic qualifying. So we made sure we got into the semifinals and the semifinals are going to be the big one."
Lloyd remembered how difficult the conditions were in Cancun.
"Small field, a baseball field, I guess you could say," she said. "It played to their advantage. It's tough. It's tough playing away."
Even in Vancouver, close to the U.S. northwestern border, Mexican fans at BC Place were louder than their American counterparts.
"We even felt there were a lot more Mexican fans than U.S. fans," Lloyd said. "But at the end of the day, we shut all that out and we just played soccer."
As in the first two games when Rodriguez and Leroux came off the bench to score five goals in wins over the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, the United States was relentless.
Lloyd, who scored the lone goal for the United States against Brazil in the 2008 Olympic final, came through with her first three-goal game for the Americans, the first in the seventh minute, giving her five for the tournament.
"Mexico's great at knocking the ball around," Lloyd said. "They move the ball really well and getting that early goal really kind of stressed them out a little bit. We just kept on them, pressuring from the top and all the way back down. So it was a great team effort."
She couldn't recall the last time she scored three goals in a game.
"I don't even know. Rutgers?" she said, referring to her college.
Despite the victory, the U.S. team still was adjusting to the loss of defender Ali Krieger, who tore ligaments in her right knee against the Dominican Republic on Friday and returned home to Washington for surgery.
Lloyd said that she "dedicated the win to her, the hat-trick to her. It's unfortunate that she can't be her for us."
Abby Wambach reminds teammates of last time
Abby Wambach reminded her teammates on the BC Place field that there was at least one more game to win
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Despite outscoring its foes 31-0 in its opening three games of CONCACAF women's qualifying, the United States is taking nothing for granted in trying to as the Americans vie for their fifth consecutive Olympic berth.
Immediately after the Americans dispatched Mexico 4-0 on Tuesday night, co-captain and striker Abby Wambach reminded her teammates on the BC Place field that there was at least one more game to win.
The United States can clinch an Olympic berth with a victory over Costa Rica at BC Place in the first game of a semifinal doubleheader on Friday night. Host Canada faces Mexico in the second game.
"I think it's simple. Everybody knows it and understands it," Wambach said. "In hindsight, when we were in Cancun, maybe we wished we had said to ourselves 'look, we haven't done anything. We have to win this game and we need to get out of this game to qualify.'
"Because we didn't say those things, I just don't want to leave any stone unturned. So that's what that was about."
Her reference to Cancun reminded the team of Mexico's 2-1 win over the United States in the CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying semifinals 2-1 in November 2010. The Mexicans qualified for Germany while the Americans were forced to beat Costa Rica in the third-place match, and then Italy in a playoff.
Not only have the Americans never lost to Costa Rica in seven matches they have never surrendered a goal, outscoring their foes, 34-0.
Fifteen months later, Wambach sees the same scenario - and doesn't want a repeat.
"We haven't done anything yet," she said. "This was really good for us to put us in a position where we get out of our group [first] and cross over to play the second seed, Costa Rica. But this was the exact same position we were in in Mexico in 2010 during World Cup qualifying.
"We haven't done anything we still have one game left so stay focused. We'll enjoy [Wednesday] - we have off [Wednesday] - and get our legs back while we start preparing for Costa Rica."
The Canadians, who also rolled through their three group matches undefeated, are happy they won't be taking on the United states, a team its beaten only three times in 49 tries. Conversely, Canada has lost only once in 18 games against Mexico.
However, that once loss was a 2-1 defeat in March 2004 in a confrontation that decided which country qualified for the Athens Olympics.
"Both teams will have their Olympic dreams on the line," Canada coach John Herdman said. "I'm just expecting it to be everything a semifinal is meant to be when two teams want the Olympic Games."
There is so much at stake for both teams.
"It's huge," Canada goalkeeper Erin McLeod told the Vancouver Sun. "We've basically planned our next year around winning this game."
"It's everything," central defender Carmelina Moscato added. "I think, at this point, there is no future without this game."
The coaches of Mexico and Costa Rica realize the length of their odds in Friday's CONCACAF women's qualifying semifinals
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The coaches of Mexico and Costa Rica realize the length of their odds in Friday's CONCACAF women's qualifying semifinals better than anyone.
Costa Rica, which has never qualified for a Women's World Cup or the Olympics, will face the two-time World Cup, three-time Olympic champion and top-ranked United States in the first game of the doubleheader at BC Place.
Later, two-time and reigning CONCACAF champion Canada takes on the Mexicans. The semifinal winners will go the Olympics in London, the losers will go home.
"The truth is that it's very difficult," Ticas coach Karla Aleman said before she used a common Spanish phrase to describe the task. "You can't block the sun with a finger. We're going to play in the match and see what happens in the end."
The Americans, runners-up to Japan at last summer's Women's World Cup, are overwhelming favorites to continue their streak of qualifying for every Olympics since women's soccer was introduced in 1996. Not only have they won all seven encounters against Costa Rica, the Americans have never allowed a goal, outscoring their foes 34-0.
In its three games at the qualifying finals, the United States has outscored the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Mexico 31-0.
Likewise for Mexico, whose coach, Leonardo Cuellar, used a popular sports phrase to describe his team's situation. He noted that Canada was rated seventh and El Tri 21st in the latest FIFA rankings.
"On paper we're behind," he said. "But you need to play the game. They also might have pressure on them playing at home. They may prefer to have more rhythm playing against better opponents while we have been able to play against the best team in the world.
"I feel that may loosen us up a little bit and make our players come out and be very aggressive."
Improving the odds even more for the United States and Canada, the teams' believe, is BC Place's relatively expansive 107-by-68-meter (117-by-74.5-yard) field, which usually favors an athletic team.
"We play against some of the best teams in the world and if you play on a big field, we believe we're one of the fittest teams in the world," U.S. striker Abby Wambach said.
"We know the games are going to be close. We know the next game against Costa Rica is win or go home and those are the type of games we relish. As a professional athlete you hope to be put in these types of situations."
If Costa Rica has one advantage, it's that the Central Americans will enjoy an extra day of rest, having played their final group stage match on Monday - as did Canada. The United States and Mexico played on Tuesday.
"It is a huge advantage, to have an extra day," U.S. coach Pia Sundhage said. "But on the other hand, our fitness coach Dawn Scott has done a tremendous job with this team, so we will make sure we do the right things . . . So we are ready for that game."
The Canadians also will enjoy an extra day of rest over the Mexicans - something coach John Herdman called "a massive advantage."
"It's a major advantage. In 96 hours the glycogen stores are in full repletion so the players will be in tip-top shape," he said. "It's fantastic, so any player that has played 90 minutes (Monday) plus all the managed minutes over that time they're back to full fitness."
Like the United States, Canada enjoys a considerable advantage over Mexico, winning 16 of 18 previous meetings with one draw. But Herdman noted the one time Mexico beat Canada, 2-1, was to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
"It's going to be a tough game," he said. "Mexico has a new look about the way they play and some new players, so I think they're a threat. I think there is massive pressure. But you either see it as a burden or you go toward it, that's what makes people's careers."
On Tuesday night, a partisan Mexico crowd was noticeably louder than their American counterparts.
"I know we are away, but you saw the crowd," Cuellar said. "So don't be surprised if we have more Mexicans than Canadians on Friday."
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