Tag: Carli Lloyd

How does this former women’s World Cup star scratch her competitive itch these days? Plenty of golf

“Golf is a great way to stay involved in a sport. My husband plays so it’s something we can do together.”

As the rain hammered down on TPC Scottsdale this week and fans fled to find cover, retired U.S. women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd trudged towards a muddy ravine on No. 5, unperturbed. While other members of her group went on the cart path to avoid the mud, Lloyd and PGA Tour golfer Nick Taylor were the only players who risked ruining their shoes.

Even as the rain threatened to loosen her grip on the club, Lloyd hit a smooth pitch shot that stopped about 10 feet away from the pin. The two-time World Cup winner smiled and passed her wedge to caddie and husband, Brian Hollins.

“Golf is a great way to stay involved in a sport. My husband plays so it’s something we can do together,” Lloyd said before play was suspended at the Annexus Pro-Am of the WM Phoenix Open. “I just want to get to the point where I can comfortably play a round of golf and be good one day.”

Lloyd staying in great shape

While Lloyd has been retired from professional soccer for over two years, her competitive nature and desire to improve have not diminished. In 2023, she was featured on the inaugural season of Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test,” in which 16 recruits were thrust into rigorous training exercises meant to mimic those of the U.S. Special Forces. Lloyd won the challenge, beating out athletes like former NBA star Dwight Howard and former NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola.

While training for golf isn’t exactly the same as training for the special forces, it still comes with its challenges, she said.

“It’s a really hard sport but I’m staying with it,” Lloyd said.

Hollins, a professional golfer, has been teaching his wife the game and said even in a sport that is relatively new to her, he loves that Lloyd still maintains her fierce attitude.

Carli Lloyd of NJ/NY Gotham FC, is seen as she plays against Racing Louisville FC in the second half during the Gotham FC final at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison on 10/31/21.

Competition on the course, coming soon

“We’re always competitive in everything that we do, whether it’s shooting basketballs or playing golf,” Hollins said. “I obviously can’t beat her in soccer.”

While the two aren’t competing in golf yet, Hollins said that’s coming soon.

Lloyd wasn’t able to reach the famous 16th hole as a part of her round Wednesday, but she got to fully experience the raucous environment when she played here last year.

“Your adrenaline kicks in,” Lloyd said. “The tough thing about golf is that it’s just you and the ball versus when I played soccer in a packed stadium. All eyes are on you.”

Lloyd, who didn’t turn down a single autograph or photo request even after the siren signaled the suspension of play, said while her competitive nature is still there, it has changed since retirement.

“I think my competitive juices are a bit different,” she said. “I’m definitely relaxed a bit more and trying to enjoy life.”

Everett Munez is a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. This story originally ran in the Arizona Republic, part of the USA Today Network.

Rutgers women’s soccer legend Carli Lloyd joined the B1G Tailgate

On Saturday, two times FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Carli Lloyd joined the B1G Tailgate before Rutgers football Week 7 game.

Two times FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Carli Lloyd joined the B1G Tailgate before Rutgers football Week 7 game against Michigan State on Saturday.

During her interview, Lloyd described her interest in Rutgers and how the university was on her radar for schools to attend at a young age. While attending Rutgers, she was intrigued by trying to put Rutgers women’s soccer on the map.

The Delran, New Jersey, native had overwhelming success as a Scarlet Knight in 2001-04. She remains a strong focal point of the women’s soccer program. Lloyd is No. 1 all-time in the Rutgers career record books for points (117) and goals (50) and is second in game-winners (15) and shots (295). She was elected into the Rutgers Hall of Fame in 2018, holding the single-season records for points (37) and goals (15), and is second in game-winners (six) for the Big East Conference.

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Lloyd guided the Scarlet Knights to the Sweet Sixteen in the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2001. Since 2001, Rutgers women’s soccer has gained national exposure as a contender, competing in multiple NCAA Tournaments.

 

Carli Lloyd: I was the only one brave enough to say it how it is

The USWNT legend was criticized for calling out the mentality of her former teammates

Carli Lloyd has defended her harsh criticism of the U.S. women’s national team during the World Cup, saying that “sometimes the truth hurts.”

Lloyd stirred up controversy with some of her comments as an analyst on Fox Sports during the tournament, particularly after a lackluster 0-0 draw with Portugal to close out the group stage.

In addition to slamming the USWNT for dancing and smiling after the result, Lloyd also offered pointed comments on the team’s mentality

“I’m just not seeing that passion,” Lloyd said on air. “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.”

In an interview with The Athletic, the former USWNT star said that her comments came from the heart and were the product of the passion she has for the team.

“This wasn’t anything that was scripted,” Lloyd said. “This was a reaction to what I was seeing, what I was feeling, what came from my heart. I poured my heart and soul into this team for 17 years.”

Lloyd retired shortly after the Olympics in 2021, a tournament at which the USWNT underperformed en route to a bronze medal. After the U.S. crashed out at the last 16 of this year’s World Cup, Lloyd again leveled criticism at head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

“I was at the tail end of what I saw was a regression with the team, which wasn’t good enough in Tokyo. The team was disjointed, was not a unit, and the coaching was not what this team needed. So I saw this, I felt this, I experienced this. I wasn’t truly confident in this team winning the World Cup.”

Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images

Though she’s received some criticism over the personal nature of her attacks on the USWNT’s passion, Lloyd said she stood by what she said.

“Maybe I was the only one brave enough to say it how it is,” Lloyd said. “I’ve always been somebody that is blunt, that’s honest, that maybe comes across to the media as being selfish, arrogant, all these words that I’ve heard about me. And that’s been pretty wild to hear because it’s really not true.”

She added: “I did speak the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts. But it came from my heart. The world has caught up. I get that. But there’s no reason why we still can’t be at the top. But we have regressed so far down that there really is no gap. That’s what’s hard to swallow because the team has been built on legacies that have been passed down from generation to generation, and I simply didn’t like what I saw.”

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Alex Morgan brushes off retirement talk after USWNT’s World Cup elimination

Alex Morgan has no plans to call it quits right now.

The U.S. Women’s National Team’s disappointing Round of 16 exit from the 2023 World Cup in many ways marked the end of an era.

One of the team’s stars and leaders, Megan Rapinoe, already announced that this World Cup would be her last. Following the loss to Sweden on penalty kicks Sunday morning, Julie Ertz also announced her retirement.

Add in the loss of Carli Lloyd, who retired in 2021 following Team USA’s World Cup win in 2019, and many of the squad’s longtime fixtures won’t be around the next time it competes on the international stage.

Following the loss, all eyes turned to Alex Morgan. The 34-year-old striker has played for the USWNT since 2010 and captained it in its last two World Cup runs. But following a goalless performance in this year’s tournament, some questioned if she would follow in the footsteps of some of her veteran teammates.

She put that speculation to rest in an interview with ESPN following the loss.

“I’m not planning to hang up my boots anytime soon right now, ” Morgan said when asked if this World Cup would be her last. “So, just one day at a time now.”

Though it isn’t an outright commitment to playing in the 2027 World Cup — the host nation for which hasn’t been determined — it doesn’t sound like Morgan has any plans to slow down after the back-to-back defending champions bowed out in heartbreaking fashion.

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Can Carli Lloyd replace Vlatko Andonovski as USWNT head coach?

After a draw to Sweden, the U.S. Women’s National Team was eliminated in the 2023 World Cup. Will there be a coaching change for the USWNT?

After a hard-fought battle in the round of 16, the U.S. Women’s National Team was eliminated in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The tie to Sweden marks the earliest exit for the United States in the Women’s World Cup. Also, it ends the United States’ chances for the first team to win the tournament three straight times.

And it would surprise no one to see a new head coach for the United States ahead of this next cycle, including the Olympics and another World Cup in four years.

Earlier this week, ex-USWNT captain Carli Lloyd called out her former teammates for celebrating a tie to Portugal after a below-average performance. Lloyd holds her former team to a higher standard despite the current USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski deflecting Lloyd’s comments toward his team.

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Fans on social media our lashing out toward the Americans’ below-average performance in the 2023 World Cup, requesting Lloyd to take over Andonovski’s role as USWNT head coach. Does Lloyd have the credentials to take over as head coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team?

Lloyd’s Qualifications

Lloyd is a Fox Sports analyst and might be considered for the USWNT head coaching spot if Andonovski gets let go after an early tournament exit. The former Rutgers Women’s Soccer standout knows what it takes to win (she has won two World Cups and has three Olympic medals), and USWNT needs an experienced leader to get them over the hump.

The New Jersey native from Delran, New Jersey, has 134 career goals and 64 assists while appearing in 316 games for the USWNT. Lloyd is known for performances in high-pressure moments, scoring game-winners at Rutgers, in the SheBelieves Cup, the 2008 and 2012 Olympics gold medal games, and the 2015 World Cup final.

During her four years at Rutgers, Lloyd is the only Scarlet Knight to earn First-Team All-Big East Honors four times in her career (2001-2004). Also, she got named the 2001 Big East Rookie of the Year. The Rutgers all-time points (117) and goals (50) leader can be a strong candidate for the possible USWNT head coach position.

Lloyd traveled the world with the National Team and played in two U.S. Women’s professional leagues. She played for the Chicago Red Stars, Sky Blue, and Atlanta Beat in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. After playing in the WPS, she joined the National Women’s Soccer League and played for the Western New York Flash, Houston Dash, and Sky Blue FC. Her last season came in Manchester City, where she joined the Champions League in 2017.

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USWNT’s Lindsey Horan on Carli Lloyd’s World Cup criticism: ‘You have no idea what’s going on’

Lindsey Horan responded to former teammate Carli Lloyd’s criticism after the USWNT’s tie vs. Portugal.

U.S. Women’s National Team star Lindsey Horan had an answer to Carli Lloyd’s criticism following the Americans’ final game of the group stage.

After an uninspired 0-0 tie with Portugal, Lloyd — a two-time World Cup champion and retired USWNT player — criticized her former team for dancing and smiling with fans in the stands. She also suggested the team’s fame has gone to some players’ heads.

The now FOX Sports broadcaster then clarified her comments, saying she made them because she cares “deeply about this team.”

But, as ESPN reported Thursday from Auckland, New Zealand, Lloyd’s comments didn’t sit well with Horan, the USWNT current captain. Horan said the criticism was “frustrating for me to hear” because of how hard the team has worked.

More via ESPN:

“Again, it’s noise and, again, it’s an opinion and everyone is entitled to their own opinion — we know that’s how it goes,” Horan added. “But for me, I always want to defend my team and say: you have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes, you have no idea every single training what we’re doing individually, collectively, etcetera.

“So, for anyone to question our mentality hurts a little bit but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. I don’t really care. It’s what’s going inside of the team and getting ready for that next game.”

Advancing out of the group stage and into the knockout round, the USWNT opens the Round of 16 against Sweden on Sunday at 5 a.m. ET on FOX.

MORE WORLD CUP:

Horan: Lloyd questioning USWNT mentality ‘hurts a little bit’

The USWNT captain admitted that her former teammates words were “frustrating to hear”

Lindsey Horan has admitted that hearing her former teammate Carli Lloyd questioning the U.S. women’s national team’s mentality “hurts a little bit.”

Lloyd made headlines in the aftermath of the USWNT’s 0-0 draw against Portugal to close out the World Cup group stage, offering a scathing assessment of the team’s state of mind.

“I’m just not seeing that passion,” Lloyd said on Fox. “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.”

The USWNT legend’s comments have not gone down well with those around the program, with head coach Vlatko Andonovski saying they were “insane” and Midge Purce calling them “absolutely ludicrous.”

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, USWNT captain Horan wouldn’t go quite that far, but admitted that her ex-teammate’s words stung.

“It’s kind of frustrating for me to hear, especially knowing this team and knowing how much we put into every single game, how much preparation we put into every single game, seeing our trainings, seeing how hard we work,” Horan said in quotes published on ESPN.

The midfielder added: “Again, it’s noise and, again, it’s an opinion and everyone is entitled to their own opinion — we know that’s how it goes. But for me, I always want to defend my team and say: you have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes, you have no idea every single training what we’re doing individually, collectively, etcetera.

“So, for anyone to question our mentality hurts a little bit but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. I don’t really care. It’s what’s going inside of the team and getting ready for that next game.”

After struggling through the group stage, the USWNT finished runner-up in Group E — earning a difficult last-16 match against Sweden on Sunday.

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Purce slams Lloyd’s ‘absolutely ludicrous’ criticism of USWNT passion

“I’ve seen these players fall to pieces about this team, about this dream of going to the World Cup”

Midge Purce has said she was “baffled” to hear Carli Lloyd questioning the U.S. women’s national team’s mentality, calling her former teammate’s criticism “ludicrous.”

After a 0-0 draw against Portugal in Tuesday’s World Cup Group E finale, USWNT legend Lloyd laid into her former teammates.

“I’m just not seeing that passion,” Lloyd said on Fox. “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.”

Lloyd’s comments have not gone down well with her former USWNT and NJ/NY Gotham FC teammate, who vehemently defended her teammates’ desire and commitment to the cause.

“I was baffled by the comments,” Purce said on “The 91st” show from Just Women’s Sports.

“I’m all for critiquing the players’ performances, their tactical awareness, their positioning, their quality on the ball, but to diminish their commitment and their discipline, their character — that’s absolutely ludicrous to me,” Purce said.

“These are players who when they got the call that they were going to the World Cup, they were trembling. Their phones were shaking, they couldn’t even hold the cameras straight.

“I’ve seen these players fall to pieces about this team, about this dream of going to the World Cup, and then pick themselves back up and put it all together. They tear their bodies apart so that they can get to this stage, get to this level, and then their passion is questioned.”

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski was similarly incredulous when asked about Lloyd’s comments, which he called “insane.”

Purce narrowly missed the USWNT World Cup roster, with a torn quad suffered in April damaging her hopes of making the team.

Watch Purce respond to Lloyd comments

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Carli Lloyd on why she criticized USWNT so harshly: ‘I poured my heart and soul into this team’

This explanation actually made a lot of sense.

Carli Lloyd created quite the firestorm earlier this week.

After the USWNT disappointingly drew against Portugal to end the group stage, the former star ripped the current players for dancing and celebrating as if they had won. Part of Lloyd’s criticism was also rooted in her believing recent fame had gotten to the players’ heads — a point our Mike Sykes disagreed with.

In light of some of the backlash Lloyd has gotten, she took time to clarify her critique during the FOX World Cup broadcast on Wednesday. The two-time World Cup champion kept it simple:

She cares about the team greatly, and she wants them to carry on a rich tradition.

I might still disagree with segments of Lloyd’s comments, like the idea that fame hurts the players’ on-field mentality. If that were the case, none of the big superpowers would ever fare well in the tournament, let alone the USWNT.

But in terms of general substance — a team legend wants to see better play from the new generation — I can’t fault Lloyd for speaking her mind. She’s an ambassador of the USWNT at heart, and if she sees something she doesn’t appreciate, she’ll highlight it. Even with a berth in the knockout stages, the USWNT has been playing poorly during this World Cup. Anyone in her position would find it hard not to say anything.

Lloyd is closer to the team than most people. She’s at least earned that right.

Andonovski hits back at ‘insane’ Lloyd criticism of USWNT mentality

The USWNT head coach wasn’t having any of his former player’s criticism

U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski has hit back at Carli Lloyd, saying his former player questioning his team’s mentality is “insane.”

Andonovski’s side only managed a 0-0 draw with Portugal on Tuesday, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage as the Group E runner-up after a disappointing performance.

In addition to calling out USWNT players for their over-exuberant post-game celebrations, Lloyd also questioned the team’s mentality, saying on Fox after the game: “I’m just not seeing that passion. 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.”

In his post-game press conference, a reporter relayed Lloyd’s criticism to Andonovski. The USWNT coach admitted his side was far from its best against Portugal, but bristled at the notion that it was lacking desire.

“The one thing I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else,” Andonovski said. “They’ve put everything they could in preparation for this tournament and every game that they go into, 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.

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

Andonovski was named USWNT head coach in 2019, coaching Lloyd for two years before her retirement in 2021.

Upon Lloyd’s retirement announcement, Andonovski said: “Carli Lloyd is a true legend. Her career was unique, and her success on the field is something all current and future national team players should aspire to achieve. The way she approached her everyday training and career as a professional is truly impressive and I’ve been honored to coach her.”

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