Tag: Carli Lloyd

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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Blaming the USWNT’s fame off the field for its poor World Cup performance is so misguided

Carli Lloyd’s comments just feel a little off, don’t they?

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Mike Sykes. 

There isn’t a soul on earth right now who will tell you that the U.S. women’s national team is playing well right now.

Since its dominant opening showing against Vietnam, this team has looked pretty terrible. It fell behind early and trailed at the half for the first time in over a decade against the Netherlands. And today against Portugal, as everyone has pointed out, the post was the player of the match in a 0-0 tie.

Criticism is rightly coming from everywhere after this one. Especially from one Carli Lloyd, who once played for USWNT. She ripped the team for dancing and smiling and, basically, not being more angry after their tie against Portugal.

To be fair to Lloyd, she knows these players better than you or I ever would. She’s been in the system. She’s played with many of them and she knows their hearts and intentions for the most part.

With that being said, she took things a step too far when she tried to blame the USWNT’s poor performance on its work off the field.

In the postgame show with Alexi Lalas teeing her up, Lloyd brought up the team’s post-2020 fame as a reason why the team’s performance isn’t as sharp. She insinuated that some players might be “taking it for granted.”

“You put on that jersey and you want to give it everything you have for the people who came before you and the people who are going to come after you. And I’m just not seeing that passion. I’m 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.”

These comments strike me as Lloyd being a bit too close to the team still. It sounds like a conversation the team would have in the locker room instead of the airwaves. It’d sound much better that way. Here, it just feels a bit off.

Yes, USWNT found new fame after winning a second consecutive World Cup. Of course, it did. That’s meant to be celebrated. By the way, the team used that new platform for so much good, which included the team’s fight against U.S. Soccer in an equal pay lawsuit. That’s objectively a good thing.

It feels even more ridiculous to call out things happening off the pitch when there’s just so much bad to choose from on it.

There’s a lack of creativity from this team that has just marred it down, as Jason Anderson from Pro Soccer Wire points out here. The attack strategy doesn’t vary at all. The substitutions in the game came extremely late and the team’s tactics remained easy to read.

Meanwhile, the U.S. had no answers for Portugal’s midfield. Portugal only put up six shots this game but possessed the ball for 56 percent of the match thanks to its varied attack and strong connections between the team’s players.

USWNT’s strategy felt like it was just “Let’s just get the ball to Sophia Smith and vibe out,” for a majority of the game. That’s just not going to cut it.

Look, I’m not a soccer expert by any means. I don’t know how to solve these problems. But I do know that complaining about things that have absolutely nothing to do with the game at hand certainly won’t help.

Quick Hits: Mama, there goes that man … Big trades are brewing in baseball … and more

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

— It’s wild how everyone made the same joke about Mark Jackson being let go by ESPN. Andrew Joseph has more. No idea what ESPN is doing over there but its NBA broadcast is going to be weird next year.

— Charles Curtis is following all of the big trade news coming from around the MLB. His poor, poor Mets.

—Nick Young hooped in some jorts. Do I really need to say more?

—Bryan Kalbrosky came up with an incredible stat that’s really going to help you bet well on the NBA next season.

Have a great day. Be kind to one another.

Carli Lloyd rips into USWNT following World Cup tie: ‘You’re lucky to not be going home right now’

Carli Lloyd calls out the United States women’s national team following a disappointing tie.

Carli Lloyd wasn’t having any of it following the United States women’s national team nearly being bounced from the World Cup. A national team legend and former Rutgers women’s soccer star, Lloyd didn’t hold back following the United States tying Portugal in the final match of the group stages.

With the tie, the United States squeaked into the knockout rounds of the World Cup. The twice-defending champions were expected to ease into the next round of the tournament.

Instead, they struggled against Vietnam in their opening match and then looked lackluster in ties against the Netherlands and then Portugal. The Americans finished a shocking second in their group but will advance to the second round.

Following the match, she responded to video of some members of the United States national team dancing on the field. Others took selfies with fans.

“I have never witnessed – and just seeing these images for the first time right now on the desk,” Lloyd said on the set of Fox Sports following the tie with Portugal,

“I’ve 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.”

At Rutgers, Lloyd was a standout performer and an All-Big East selection. She then continued her development to become one of the best players in the women’s game.

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Lloyd made over 300 international appearances for the United States She appeared in three World Cups (winning two) and three Olympics (two gold medals, one bronze).

 

Host Rob Stone tee’ed up Lloyd’s reaction this morning on Fox as the video of the celebrating Americans played on the screen.

“These are not the images we should be expecting to see from a team that survived Portugal and survived to get to the round of 16,” Stone said.

“I appreciate them taking care of the fans. But let me tell you, Carli Lloyd’s butt would be back in the locker room, kicking things, throwing things.”

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Carli Lloyd wasn’t having the USWNT’s celebrations after Portugal draw

Seeing her ex-teammates dancing and singing after a dismal performance was too much for Lloyd to take

Carli Lloyd was not pleased to see some U.S. women’s national team players celebrating after scraping a 0-0 draw with Portugal to secure World Cup advancement.

The U.S. reached the round of 16 as Group E runner-up after barely managing to draw in a game it was expected to win handily.

In a subpar performance, the USWNT was very nearly eliminated when Portugal’s Ana Capeta hit the post in second-half stoppage time.

After the game, Fox showed some U.S. players looking jubilant on the pitch, with Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn among the players briefly shown dancing.

For Lloyd, who now works as a Fox analyst, seeing her ex-teammates dancing and singing after a disappointing performance was too much to take.

“I’m just seeing these images for the first time right now on the desk,” Lloyd said. “I’ve 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.”

Watch Lloyd’s USWNT comments

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Carli Lloyd rips USWNT for dancing, smiling with fans after World Cup draw against Portugal

The former USWNT star didn’t hold back.

Carli Lloyd didn’t hold back on her former USWNT teammates after a 0-0 tie with Portugal.

The United States team will move on to the elimination rounds after getting that crucial point, but it was a close one — Portugal nearly scored in the 91st minute but banged one off the post.

And it was after the game that FOX showed images of USWNT members dancing a bit and signing with fans in attendance. Lloyd was shocked and ripped the team for that.

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

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski responded to those criticisms:

Maybe that’s the motivation USWNT needs in its next match after a lackluster performance.

Carli Lloyd sees USWNT as ‘disjointed’ in FIFA Women’s World Cup opener.

Carli Lloyd weighs in on the United States women’s national team and their opening match against Vietman.

Carli Lloyd, a legend for both the Rutgers women’s soccer program and the United States women’s national team, wasn’t considered by what some considered a lackluster first game from the Americans in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The United States, considered the favorite in this summer’s World Cup, beat Vietnam 3-0 in their opening match of the tournament. Given that there was talk of the Americans potentially scoring double-digit goals, the performance was certainly a bit off from a team that is looking to three-peat.

As part of the Fox Sports broadcast team at the World Cup, which is co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, Lloyd wasn’t terribly concerned by the final scoreline. The United States squandered several good chances in front of goal and had a difficult time threading that final pass through a very low block from Vietnam.

Lloyd followed up a standout collegiate career at Rutgers with over 300 international appearances, three World Cup medals (won two) and three Olympic medals (two gold medals, one bronze).

The United States held 65.9 percent possession in the win.

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“The game has come a long way and Vietnam actually came out and held their own for a bit. First game, they did score three goals, could they have scored several more? Absolutely,” Lloyd said on the broadcast.

“I would say my biggest takeaway was they still seem a bit disjointed. There’s not a lot of cohesion going. You saw the first goal with Sophia Smith there was link-up between (Lindsey) Horan, (Alex) Morgan and Smith. From an overall standpoint, it seemed a bit disjointed if we were to compare to coming into the 2019 World Cup where I felt like the whole team was firing on all cylinders.

“You don’t have to be your best but it’s going to take a lot.”

 

There was certainly some squad rotation from head coach Vlatko Andonovski as he looks to ready his squad for a long and grueling tournament. They next play against the Netherlands on July 26.

Lloyd thinks that the lack of cohesion and link-up play stems from the relative unknown nature of the team that took the field on Friday.

“For starters, that lineup hasn’t played together, yet. They just rolled out that lineup. It’s just getting on the same page, it’s hard to break down a low block. I felt at times there was some individual brilliance in taking on the dribble but you need a little more 3v2s, a little more combination in the center of the park Pull them out a little bit, suck them in, then you can go wide,” Lloyd said.

“I think coming out in the second half, they did a better job of putting inc crosses and stuff like that.”

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When did Carli Lloyd retire from the USWNT?

Lloyd had a decorated and memorable career with the U.S. women’s national team, but she has hung her cleats up.

With the 2023 World Cup kicking off in New Zealand and Australia, longtime U.S. women’s national team forward Carli Lloyd will not be on the field for the Americans.

That’s because Lloyd has been retired for nearly two years.

Lloyd, who played in four World Cups and helped the U.S. win two of them – as she was part of the championship squads in 2015 and 2019 – called it quits and hung up her cleats for good in November 2021. She scored her final goal for the national team in a friendly against Paraguay in Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2021.

A month before that, Lloyd scored twice in the USWNT’s bronze medal match win over Australia at the Olympics.

At the time of her retirement, Lloyd was 39 and wrapped up one of the most decorated careers of any women’s soccer player. Her accomplishments include:

  • The first woman to ever score three goals in a FIFA World Cup Final.
  • The first player to ever score in six straight World Cup matches.
  • The oldest player to ever score for the U.S. women’s national team.
  • The USWNT’s third-all-time leading scorer.
  • Is second all-time in caps for the U.S.
  • Is fifth all-time in assists for the U.S.
  • At the time of her retirement, was one of just four international women’s soccer players to play more than 300 times for her country.
  • A two-time winner of the FIFA Women’s Player of the Year (2015 and 2016).
  • Is one of nine USWNT players to score five goals in a single match.
  • Scored the most goals for the U.S. at the Olympics with 10.

Lloyd played in four World Cups and four Olympics for the Americans. In 316 games wearing the stars-and-stripes, she scored 134 goals and dished out 64 assists.

As good as Lloyd was, she could also be a bit of a frustrating player and vocal when things didn’t go her way. She famously only started in one match during the USWNT’s run in the 2019 World Cup, and later gave several interviews about how much that “absolutely sucked” despite the Americans winning the sport’s highest crown for the second straight time.

She’s also never been shy about clapping back at those who criticize or disagree with her.

But there’s no denying Lloyd’s talent on the soccer pitch – or even the football field, where she’s drilled 55-yard field goals. Her try at a baseball pitch wasn’t terrible either.

Lloyd wowed people on the soccer turf during her time with the national team, gaining fans from Tiger Woods to Barack Obama.

Most of us will always remember her hat trick in the 2015 World Cup Final though, particularly that strike from midfield in the 16th minute that sailed over Japan’s keeper before nestling up against the back of the net, putting the USWNT ahead 4-0 and essentially securing their victory.

MORE WORLD CUP:

Key USWNT players missing from the 2023 World Cup roster

Don’t expect to see these USWNT stars play in the World Cup this year.

The 2023 World Cup is set to begin this week, as the United States Women’s National Team prepares for its tournament debut against Vietnam on July 21.

However, there will be some key members of previous USWNT teams not present in New Zealand for this year’s World Cup. A lot of names you probably recognize if you’re a casual soccer fan.

A good number of the women on this list are struggling with various ailments, while one all-time talent retired in 2021.

Before you spend too much time wondering where somebody is, let’s run down some of athletes who won’t be competing in the World Cup this year for the United States.

MORE WORLD CUP:

Watch: USWNT, Rutgers legend Carli Lloyd previews the FIFA World Cup

Carli Lloyd talks about the United States national team in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Now working with Fox Sports, former United States international Carli Lloyd believes that the Americans enter this FIFA World Cup with a target on their collective backs. Lloyd, born and raised in New Jersey, got her career started as a midfielder at Rutgers.

That career culminated in over 300 international appearances, three World Cup medals (won two) and three Olympics (two gold medals, one bronze).

Now working as an analyst for Fox, the broadcast partner for the tournament, Lloyd knows and understands the pressure on the United States. The Americans have won the last two World Cups. A win in this tournament would be the first-ever three-peat in World Cup history.

“It’s business as usual. The approach is always that the US is the favorite, the No. 1 team in the world. Everyone wants to go out there and beat them, there is a target on their back,” Lloyd said in a preview for Fox this week.

“They’re most likely not talking about a three-peat or really talking about the history they could potentially make. Everybody just knows that, they know in the back of their mind that history is at stake.”

The United States are the unquestioned favorites in this tournament. But there are a lot of other factors at play that could derail their plans for a parade.

This is the most balanced World Cup in the history of the women’s game as the standard of play and competition globally continues to rise. There are also time zone issues with this World Cup be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

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“Ultimately it comes down to one game at a time. You can’t get ahead of yourself. The moment you get ahead of yourself is probably the moment you get knocked out or something. It’s really important to first and foremost come out first in their group – that’s their first battle,” Lloyd said.

“Once they hopefully do that, the next challenge is going to be making sure that they get past that knockout round.”

At Rutgers, Lloyd was four times named All-Big East. While with the Scarlet Knights, she played for the United States U21 national team.

 

The USWNT has lost three straight and some legends are getting restless

Heather O’Reilly and Carli Lloyd aren’t happy with the USWNT’s mentality

The U.S. women’s national team lost 2-1 to Germany on Thursday night, the team’s third consecutive defeat.

To put it simply, the USWNT just doesn’t lose three games in a row. Before the Germany defeat, it had been 29 years since the USWNT’s last three-game losing streak. It has never lost four in a row.

That three-game streak in 1993 came well before the legendary USWNT careers of Heather O’Reilly and Carli Lloyd began. Both were dismayed by what they saw in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday and made their opinions crystal clear on Twitter.

O’Reilly and Lloyd both questioned the team’s mentality, an intangible but vital part of the USWNT becoming the most decorated women’s national team ever.

“Rewatched the match from last night and have to say I am tremendously disappointed. Simply not good enough in so many regards,” O’Reilly began in a thread.

“Let’s start with mentality. Last 30 minutes. Too many allowed crosses in the box and not dealt with well at all. On the flip side, no urgency in the last 5 mins. You are about to lose at home. Get the f—— ball down the field and fight.”

Lloyd, like O’Reilly a World Cup and Olympic champion, echoed the sentiment of her former USWNT teammate.

“The winning culture and mentality that has carried on from generation to generation within the USWNT has been fizzling away,” she said on Twitter in response to O’Reilly.

“I said it when I retired. I saw it slipping away. Players have to embody that. That’s been our DNA since the 80s, but not so much anymore.”

O’Reilly did end her thread on a positive note, putting more pressure on a USWNT side that will already be feeling the heat ahead of its final game of 2022.

“Thrilled the team has a chance for redemption in a few days to make things right,” O’Reilly said ahead of the USWNT’s rematch with Germany at Red Bull Arena on Sunday.

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