Carli Lloyd accomplished a feat so rare only 3 soccer players have ever pulled it off, but USWNT legend Abby Wambach wasn't surprised

• Carli Lloyd made her 300th career appearance for the US Women's National Team Saturday.
• Only two other footballers - both retired US women stars - have accomplished the rare feat.
• US all-time leading goal scorer Abby Wambach told Insider she wasn't surprised Lloyd pulled it off.

Carli Lloyd made her 300th appearance for the US Women's National Team Saturday afternoon, joining an exclusive group of just three women's soccer legends - all of whom played for the United States - who have ever accomplished the remarkable feat.

And even though it's undoubtedly an incredible accomplishment, Abby Wambach - who, despite being the USWNT's all-time leading goal scorer to this day, never reached 300 caps in her illustrious career - was hardly surprised that Lloyd was able to pull it off.

"Carli Lloyd - she is a true professional," Wambach told Insider. "I don't know if there has been another person who has completely dedicated themselves like Carli has."

Wambach - who returned to her hometown of Rochester, New York, this weekend to surprise local youth athletes during the grand opening of DICK'S Sporting Goods' first-ever House of Sport store - was already a star for the USWNT by the time Lloyd first made an appearance for the team in July of 2005.

From early on, she said, Lloyd's unrivaled commitment to her craft was apparent. It's no wonder, then, that the prolific forward is still bolstering the USWNT's dynamic offense, two World Cup victories, two Olympic gold medals, and 16 years later.

"I've seen her from the beginning grow into this professional player," Wambach said. "When she turns her professionalism on, she has never looked back. That is why she is still a player. That is why she is still playing soccer for 300 caps."

Through those 300 appearances, Lloyd spent a whopping 20,870 minutes on the pitch, according to US Soccer. She could've flown from California to Japan 25 times, run 98 marathons, watched 696 episodes of the office, or rocketed to the moon and back twice in that same span.

And none of those were empty minutes, Wambach insisted. Throughout her enduring tenure in stars and stripes, Lloyd has been a crucial contributor to the gritty, self-sacrificing style of play that has long made the USWNT the most dominant soccer team on the planet.

"And by the way, one thing that you have to know about Carli, she's not just on the field standing around, like me as a forward," Wambach said. "She's been a midfielder covering ground, making tackles, putting her body on the line. And everybody knows that of those 300, games she scored a lot of good goals for our country."

"I'm so happy for her to be able to get number 300," she added.