U.S. Soccer Star Carli Lloyd Open To NFL Career, Who Needs A Kicker?

Carli Lloyd might be retired from football, but she could find another career in American football -- 'cause the U.S. soccer superstar tells TMZ Sports she's open to the idea of playing in the NFL!!

Of course, the 39-year-old World Cup champ and Olympic gold medalist went viral in 2019 ... when she was spotted nailing 55-yard field goals while hanging out with the Philadelphia Eagles.

We spoke with the soccer legend -- just a few months after she decided to hang up her cleats -- and she told us thanks to the free time she has now, an NFL push could be in her future.

Lloyd believes one position women can play in the NFL is kicker, and her confidence in that belief was reinforced after her experience with the Eagles.

"Yeah that was wild how that all unfolded," Lloyd said. "Something I never would've predicted would have happened. It was a cool day to go out there and just hit some field goals."

Lloyd said had it not been for her Olympic journey, she would have seriously entertained the idea of being an NFL kicker.

We also spoke with Lloyd about being the first female ambassador for USA Teqball (think Ping-Pong for soccer) ... and she attributes the pandemic -- as well as seeing guys like Beckham, Messi, and Ronaldinho playing the game for sparking her interest.

"I'm thrilled because it keeps me somewhat around the game in a little bit of a different fashion, but its a really, pretty amazing sport," Lloyd said.