It was more than the lackluster on-field performance from the U.S. Women’s National Team that ticked Carli Lloyd off after Tuesday morning’s 0-0 draw against Portugal.
Trinity Rodman and Kelley O’Hara celebrated with fans postgame –– taking photos and signing autographs –– after the USWNT closed out their worst-ever performance in World Cup group play with five points.
“I have never witnessed something like that. There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family,” said Lloyd, who is on the Fox Sports studio show.
“But to be dancing, to be smiling. I mean, the player of the match was that post. You were lucky to not be going home right now.”
Lloyd’s former team barely made it to the Round of 16 and it wasn’t a diving play or extra-effort save that kept its World Cup three-peat dreams alive.
It was instead the right goal post, stopping a 91st-minute shot from Portuguese striker Ana Capeta that cleanly beat U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
While the group has the knockout round to refocus on, Lloyd said the team’s “uninspiring” effort is nothing to celebrate.
“It started to shift post 2020 and there are a lot of off-the-field things that are happening. You never want to take anything for granted. You put on that jersey and you want to give it everything you have for the people who came before you, the people who are going to come after you and I am just not seeing that passion,” Lloyd said.
“I am seeing a very lackluster, uninspiring, taking it for granted. Winning and training and doing all that you can to be the best possible individual player is not happening.”
The standard of excellence and culture of winning that Lloyd cemented while a star midfielder on the USWNT seems to be a bit lost on this year’s younger group.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski had a different view on his team’s compete level in his postgame comments.
“This team wanted to win this game more than anything else and they’ve put everything they could in preparation for this tournament,” Andonovski said in response to Lloyd.
“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 and not compete.”
Lloyd, who led her team to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019 and won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, said her former team is walking a “fine line” right now.
Beyond taking photos, the team also danced after the draw.
“There is a difference between confidence and arrogance and I think that that’s a fine line of where is the direction going with that,” Lloyd said.
“It’s OK to be confident but you never want to cross that line of being arrogant and this is exactly what can come and bite you.”
The USWNT awaits their next opponent as the last round of Group G games close out Wednesday morning.
The squad will likely match up against Sweden at 5 a.m. ET on Sunday.
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