Former Soccer Star Blasts USWNT for Passionless, ‘Uninspiring’ Play

Carmen Mandato_USSF_Getty Images (2)
Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images
Warner Todd Huston

Former U.S. women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd is doubling down on her criticism of the U.S. Women’s National Team in light of its poor performance at this year’s Women’s World Cup.

On Tuesday, the USWNT barely squeaked by to stay in the World Cup with a dismal 0-0 tie with the Portugal women’s team.

The U.S. women’s weak effort is so bad the team is currently stuck way back in group E after the Netherlands pushed ahead of the U.S. with a 7-0 win against Vietnam.

In the wake of the horrid performance, Lloyd took a few shots at the team she used to play for, especially after they seemed to act as if they were winners on the tale of their weak showing against Portugal. Lloyd also blasted head coach Vlatko Antonovski,

Lloyd said that jumping around in celebration as if they won a great victory was absurd.

“I have never witnessed – and just seeing these images for the first time at the desk – 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 that match was the post. You are lucky to not be going home right now,” Lloyd said.

Lloyd added that she was not seeing the “passion” for the game among the U.S. women that fans are used to seeing.

“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 that came before you and the people that are gonna come after you, and 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,” she said.

But Lloyd seems to be doubling down on her slam on the USWNT.

On Wednesday, she explained her position.

“I want people to understand that I care deeply about this team. I poured my heart and soul into this team for 17 years, and it was based off a legacy that was just passed down from generation to generation,” she explained. “The mentality. The DNA of what makes that team so great. So, my comments were reflective of me wanting to see that legacy continued to be passed down from generation to generation. And with that, it comes with hard work, it comes with focus. So, my hope is that continues because that’s what makes the U.S. so special and so deadly.”

For his part, coach Antonovski fired back at Lloyd, calling her comments “insane.”

“The one thing I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else,” he 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.”

Regardless, Lloyd is 100 percent right. The USWNT has put in an extremely lackluster performance at this World Cup. I would not be surprised if they were sent home empty-handed.

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