2023 WOMEN WORLD CUP
USWNT captain on Carli Lloyd’s brutal comment
Following Carli Lloyd’s ‘uninspiring’ comment on the USWNT, Lindsey Horan spoke up about her frustration
U.S. women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd recently criticized the team’s performance and mentality in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. USWNT captain Lindsey Horan addressed the criticism in a press conference, expressing her disagreement with Lloyd’s assessment of the squad.
“Yeah, it’s quite frustrating to hear that,” said Horan, pausing to collect her thoughts. “Especially knowing this team and knowing how much preparation we put into every single game, seeing our trainings, seeing how hard we work.
“You can’t question that we didn’t want to win the game. You can’t question that we weren’t working as hard as we possibly could. We know that things could have been better. We know that we could have done more. We know that we could have scored opportunities. It was a really good team that we faced.”
What did Carli Lloyd say about USWNT?
Lloyd, who earned 316 caps for the national team and retired in 2021, strongly criticized the team following Tuesday’s scoreless draw with Portugal, describing their performance as “uninspiring.”
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On Wednesday, Lloyd walked back on her statement saying that she was obviously “very critical of the team last night,” Lloyd said. “I’ve had some time to reflect, to sleep on it. I want people to understand that I care deeply about this team. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this team for 17 years and it was based on a legacy that was passed down from generation to generation, the mentality, the DNA of what makes that team so great.”
“Pressure is a privilege”
The four-time world champions still has an opportunity to prove their critics wrong as they face Sweden in the knockout round. The team reflected on their loss and decided to “find the joy in it” a little bit more.
Horan added that she’s continuously told her team that “pressure is privilege.” And that once the team gets some of this joy back, “things are going to move a little bit better on the field. We’re going to have more rhythm. We’re going to have more confidence and you know, things will come... More and more chances will come.”