Carli Lloyd has made her feelings about the United States Women’s National Team quite clear. In fact, she has continued to double down, even tripling down on her criticism of the U.S. women’s side, which was shockingly ousted in the Round of 16 by Sweden in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Lloyd, who retried in 2021, has not been shy in her criticism of the team after their early elimination, and she was at it again on Saturday. Ahead of the Women’s World Cup Final between Spain and England, Lloyd critiqued the USWNT’s mentality.
She pointed out that the U.S. lacked the physical fitness and mental toughness to compete at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. And that was evident when comparing their performance to England, who reached the final for the first time in history. Remember, the United States came into this year’s World Cup having won back-to-back tournaments and was looking to become the first country to three-peat before crashing and burning in the Round of 16.
“We have all the resources poured in, we have the talent pool, we have the support, we have the experience, and so there’s all this narrative of ‘the world has caught up,’ but in my opinion, the team wasn’t fit enough, the team didn’t show that mentality that is needed to win like you’re seeing with England,” Lloyd said Saturday, via ESPN.
“You’re seeing an England side that essentially has kind of resembled our teams over the years. They go down a goal, but there’s no need to panic, they’re figuring it out. They’ve not necessarily been playing their best football, but they’ve got the resilience, and I think that’s key and that’s why they’re in the final.”
Lloyd’s comments are pretty clear. England’s mentality is why they’ll be playing for a World Cup title. And the stark difference is why the United States will be watching Sunday’s final from the comfort of their home and not from the pitch in Syndey, Australia.
[ESPN]
