Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins attend Day 7 of the US Open 2022.Photo:Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Jean Catuffe/GC Images
Carli Lloydand her husband, Brian Hollins, are parents!
Opening up about her fertility journey in the couple’spregnancy announcement, Lloyd wrote, “It has been a rollercoaster of a journey to get to this point. We are beyond excited to be parents! I couldn’t have gotten through this without my amazing husband, Brian. He truly kept me going.”
“My husband, Brian, and I met in high school, so we’ve been together for 24 years. He supported me through every step of my career, and without his support, I never would have reached the heights I did,” she wrote.
So who is Carli Lloyd’s husband? Here is everything to know about Brian Hollins and his relationship with the former soccer player.
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins in the Maldives in 2021.Carli Lloyd Instagram
Carli Lloyd Instagram
Hollins and Lloyd both attended Delran High School in New Jersey where they started their relationship.
One of Hollins’ favorite stories from their teenage years was when his family brought Lloyd on a camping trip during their senior year of high school. After she went swimming, Lloyd wanted to try her hand at hitting a 350-yard drive, like the rest of his family was doing. Because her hands were slippery, the driver went flying.
“She just launches it–it sinks to the bottom of the lake and we never find it again,” Hollins recalled toSports Illustratedin 2015. “She was mortified. Which I thought was pretty hilarious. But that’s typical Carli. She always thinks she can do it. She is so determined.”
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins during the 2023 Annexus Pro-Am.Maddie Meyer/Getty
Maddie Meyer/Getty
After he graduated high school, Hollins joined the Golf Academy of the South in Altamonte Springs, Fla. He was then the assistant golf pro at Trenton Country Club in New Jersey. In 2015, he attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open.
“He laughs because he says I always go in harder against him. And I’m like, ‘No, you always go harder against me.' ” Lloyd added. “It gets heated, we’ll lay each other out. You know, it’s fun, we get to banter, we get to be outside the relationship lovey-dove type of thing and go battle.”
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins on Christmas in 2022.Carli Lloyd Instagram
In January 2013, after 15 years of dating, Hollins proposed to Lloyd with a custom engagement ring.
The couple chose to extend their engagement until after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, during which Lloyd co-captained Team USA’s women’s soccer team.
When asked who she would turn to for support during the games, Lloyd told PEOPLE, “Of coursemy fiancé Brian who is my rockand always so supportive."
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins’s Wedding in 2016.Carli Lloyd Instagram
Lloyd opted for a strapless gown from Matthew Christopher’s fall 2016 collection alongside her five bridesmaids who wore Amsale dresses.
“I’m not really that difficult. I just want to have a good time with everybody, I just want to have a good night,” Lloyd said of her wedding. “I want my hair and makeup to look great [and] my dress to be beautiful. But other than that, I’m not too particular.”
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins at Q2 Stadium in 2021.Omar Vega/Getty
Omar Vega/Getty
In October 2021, Lloyd played her final game on the USWNT. The game was 6-0 against South Korea in St. Paul, Minn. when Lloyd took off her team jersey to change into a new one with her husband’s last name.
“It’s been emotional. But there’s just a sense of peace and contentment that I feel – it’s just joy and happiness,” Lloyd toldESPNof her career coming to a close. “It’s been an amazing journey and I gave it all I had, and now I can walk away into the next chapter.”
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins in Mexico in 2016.Carli Lloyd Instagram
Lloyd shared withUSA Todayin 2021 that although she didn’t change the name on her jersey until her final game, she had taken her husband’s last name. “From the minute we got married, I have been Mrs. Hollins everywhere except on the back of my jersey,” the soccer player said.
She also opened up more about the joy of retirement and all the activities she wanted to do with Hollins.
“I’m excited. Excited to spend more time with my husband. We want to go on trips, we want to ski together. We want to just do all the things that I’ve had on hold," Lloyd added.
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins celebrate the Fourth of July in Montana.Carli Lloyd Instagram
Although Hollins has seen Lloyd train and play, she revealed toSports Illustratedin 2015 that she has somewhat of a superstition about him being at games. While Hollins grew up watching her play in high school at their local field, he now watches her play at home, from a New Jersey bar.
“When you go solo, it’s so much easier to focus – and Brian and my family understand that,” she explained.
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins attend The Best FIFA Football Awards in 2017.Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA/Getty
Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA/Getty
While Lloyd was traveling the world to play soccer, the couple had to have a long-distance relationship at times. It required a lot of effort, but they realized what made their relationship flourish.
“Through it all, the one thing that has been the constant throughout our lives is the love that we have for one another,” Lloyd toldUSA Today. “Just like I’ve fought for my soccer career and gone through so much, it has been the same for Brian. We have wanted to be together forever. We have wanted to make our relationship work. We have spent countless hours building a foundation that we have and we cherish.”
Lloyd called Hollins an “unbelievable person and an amazing husband” and said that he would be an “amazing dad.”
Carli Lloyd and Brian Hollins attend Glamour’s 25th Anniversary Women Of The Year Awards on November 9, 2015 in New York City.Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic
Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic
“So very grateful for this amazing blessing in our lives. By far the hardest thing I have ever endured but the best thing I’ve ever done!” she wrote.
After thanking her medical team, Lloyd continued, “We just can’t get enough of this little peanut. We love love you so much and will do our best to give you the tools necessary in life to be a good human being! 💗#familyofthree #minibrian #girldad.”
“I was very naive to think that we wouldn’t have any issues getting pregnant … But as time went on, I realized that they’re all human and many women are going through similar struggles,” Lloyd wrote.
“It was not easy for Brian and me to navigate the journey from high school to attending different colleges, to a professional career, and then a long-distance relationship as I traveled the world,” Lloyd wrote. “This experience brought us closer than I had ever imagined. I couldn’t have gotten through it without him. He kept me going. He would say, ‘Just trust. Trust that it’s going to work out.’ "
She concluded, “His strength and calmness was something I never realized I needed.”
source: people.com