Soccer legend Carli Lloyd called out the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) after their draw Tuesday, sparking a response from her former coach.
The No.1-ranked USWNT tied 0-0 with the No. 21-ranked Portugal in a game the U.S. had been heavily favored to win, according to ESPN. The draw drew criticism from Lloyd, who claimed the team lacked passion and called their World Cup performance “lackluster” and “uninspiring.”
“You put on that jersey and you want to give it everything you have, for the people that came before you and the people that are gonna come after you, and I’m just not seeing that passion,” Lloyd, who is currently a Fox Sports commentator, remarked on a panel after the game. “I’m just seeing a very lackluster, uninspiring, taking-it-for-granted, where winning and training and doing all that you can to be the best possible individual player is not happening.” (RELATED: USWNT Nearly Makes History With Whopping TV Ratings For World Cup Opening Win)
“I’m just not seeing that passion.”
USWNT legend Carli Lloyd didn’t hold back when speaking about what she’s seen from USA in this World Cup.
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— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 1, 2023
A reporter relayed Lloyd’s comments to U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski during a post-game interview. Andonovski hit back, calling Lloyd’s words “insane.”
“The one thing I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else,” Adonovski remarked. “They’ve put everything they could in preparation for this tournament and in every game that they go, so to question the mentality of this team, to question the willingness to win, to compete, I think it’s insane.”
“I’ve never seen this team step on the field and not try hard or not compete. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels,” Adonovski continued.
The USWNT has qualified for the knockout rounds despite only winning one of three group-stage games.
