Lloyd, 27, has agreed to terms with Sky Blue FC, the defending Women's Professional Soccer champion, whose home field is at Rutgers.

Lloyd played for the Chicago Red Stars last season, the league's first. She made 14 starts and contributed two goals and one assist.

A midfielder her entire career, Lloyd starred at Rutgers before becoming a member of the U.S. national team.

She was named the 2008 U.S. Soccer female athlete of the year after leading the United States to an Olympic gold medal. Lloyd scored the winning goal in extra time in the gold-medal game, a 1-0 victory over Brazil. She also played all 600 minutes at the Beijing Olympics.

"I am thrilled to be here," Lloyd said yesterday on a conference call. "This is pretty much my old stomping grounds at Rutgers, and now I get to play here."

Lloyd is hoping she can add to a team everybody will be aiming for.

"I want to continue to grow as a person and player and help bring home another championship," she said.

The league had seven teams last season and will field nine in 2010, with the addition of the Philadelphia Independence and Atlanta Beat. The season takes place from March to August.

Lloyd will next compete for the national team in its Oct. 29 match at Germany.

- Marc Narducci