Story highlights
Lloyd was living in Manchester when blast went off
Praises "tremendous" reaction of the city
Has since left Man City to return to Houston
Veteran Lloyd has 235 caps for USA
For FIFA World Player of the Year Carli Lloyd the memory of 9/11 understandably remains strong in her mind.
She might have been safe 90 miles away from New York when two planes intentionally crashed into the World Trade Center, but when she looked up in the sky a plume of smoke was clearly visible while she training with her college team Rutgers.
Which explains why the Manchester terror attack that killed 22 people just over two weeks ago hit close to home for the American star, who has been playing at Manchester City on a short-term loan arrangement.
Living in the center of the northern English city, Lloyd was less than half a mile from the Manchester Arena, where pop star Ariana Grande was performing, when the blast went off.
“I was actually texting with a friend back home, ready to go to bed,” Lloyd tells CNN. “Next thing I know, it hit social media immediately.
“At 10.30, my friend had sent through a link and I just was shocked. At that moment, I heard sirens, I heard helicopters, I saw lights; it was scary, scary to be that close.”
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‘Too much violence’
The UK was hit by another terror attack Saturday when at least seven people died after three men went on a rampage on London Bridge.
World Cup winning captain Lloyd, who is to return to the US to resume playing with Houston Dash, took comfort from the strength and resilience shown by the northern English city in the aftermath of the attack.
“I feel awful for the victims, the city of Manchester,” said the 34-year-old.
“But you know, with all these things that keep happening, you see how closely knit the city and the community are. To see the outreach from everybody, was just tremendous.
“I would love to see the world become a better place, you know, this is not what the world should be like.
“You shouldn’t drop your kids off at a concert, and be waiting to pick them up, and then you can’t pick them up after that, because of something like that.
“The world has really become a sad, sad place, with too much violence. Hopefully, that can change.
“But on a lighter note, I’m just really thrilled to see the reaction from everybody in Manchester – it was great to see the outreach.”
Lloyd moved to Manchester in February and scored three goals in 11 appearances for City, as well as helping the side win the FA Cup.
With 233 caps and 94 goals for the USA, she has amassed a sizable trophy cabinet.
Twice voted as FIFA Player of the Year, Lloyd helped her country win Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
A few years later, she became the second player in history after England’s Geoff Hurst to score a hat trick in a World Cup final when USA beat Japan 5-2.
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Despite returning to play in Houston, Lloyd recently said she would be open to playing with Manchester City again in the future.
