Retired Soccer Star Carli Lloyd Slams USWNT Players' World Cup Behavior

After a disappointing match against Portugal on Aug. 1—which ended with the United States women's soccer team moving on in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup thanks to a scoreless draw—retired soccer star Carli Lloyd called out the players' performance.

Lloyd–a two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and two-time FIFA Player of the Year–now works as an analyst for Fox Sports, and she gave her honest opinion of the game.

She said of the U.S. women's soccer team, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the world, "I wouldn’t put them in the top 10."

The team almost lost the game when Portugal’s Ana Capeta almost scored in stoppage time, but the ball hit the pole. After the game ended, the USWNT seemed happy and nonchalant, and Lloyd took issue with their casual behavior.

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The 41-year-old said of the players' actions, “I have never witnessed something like that. There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family, but to be dancing, to be smiling — I mean, the player of the match was that post. You’re lucky to not be going home right now.”

Lloyd is known for her serious, devoted perspective as a player, with the soccer star spotted running wind sprints alone on the field after the U.S. women's Olympic team lost in the semifinals to Canada in 2021.

Many fans felt the same way as Lloyd about the team's performance, mainly criticizing the U.S. team's coach, Vlatko Andonovski.

The man in question addressed Lloyd's statements after the game, telling CNN in a post-game press conference, “The one thing I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else... To question the mentality of this team, to question the willingness to win, to compete, I think is insane. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and, you know, they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels."

He went on, “It’s not like we played well by any means, but we owned it. We know that it’s not good enough… We’re not happy with our performance, but we qualify for the next round. We’re moving on.”

Next up for the USWNT is the round of 16, with the game set for Sunday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. local time in Melbourne, Australia, or 5 a.m. ET. Although their opponent is not set yet, they will likely face Sweden in the next match.

Next: How Much Money Women's Soccer Players Make—and How Hard They've Had to Work to Get It