One former U.S. women's national team player doesn't see a championship mentality out of the squad at this year's Women's World Cup.
Carli Lloyd watched from the Fox Sports set in Sydney, Australia, as the USWNT played a scoreless draw against Portugal on Tuesday. The Americans only needed one point from the match to punch their ticket to the Round of 16, but that didn't stop Lloyd from calling the team out.
"I'm just seeing a very lackluster, uninspiring, taking it for granted — where winning and training and doing all you can to be the best possible individual player is not happening," Lloyd said on Fox's post-match coverage.
The USWNT struggled to string together consistent offense as Portugal controlled possession. The team continued to chase a go-ahead goal, though, and it would have fallen behind 1-0 in second-half stoppage time if Ana Capeta's shot had not hit the goal post.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The team avoided a calamitous loss, but it is still in unfamiliar territory. This is the first time the USWNT has not won multiple group stage games at a Women's World Cup and only the second time it has been the runner-up in its group.
Beyond the on-field performance, Lloyd took offense to the USWNT's behavior after the game. Players could be seen taking photos with fans and dancing on the pitch following the final whistle.
"I have never witnessed something like that," Lloyd said as she watched a monitor showing players after the match. "There’s a difference between being respectful to the fans and saying hello to your family, but to be dancing and smiling — I mean, the player of the match was that post. We’re lucky to not be going home right now."
Lloyd played for the USWNT at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Women's World Cups, reaching three finals, winning two titles and scoring an iconic hat trick against Japan in 2015. She retired from the national team in August 2021 and says she has seen a shift over the past few years.
"It started to shift post-2020," Lloyd said. "I think there's just 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 everything you have — for the people that came before you, for the people that are going to come after you — and I'm just not seeing that passion."
Nine players on this year's USWNT squad played alongside Lloyd at the 2019 Women's World Cup. The 14 other players on this year's team are making their first appearance in the tournament.
Viktor Andonovski, who was named USWNT manager shortly after the 2019 Women's World Cup, called it "insane" to question his team's effort.
"One thing that I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else, and they did everything they could in preparation for this tournament and in every game," he said. "To question the mentality of this team, to question the willingness, the willingness to win, I think it’s insane.
"But I’ve never seen this team step on the field and not try harder and not compete. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels."
Still, he acknowledged that a similar performance won't cut it in the Round of 16.
"And it’s not like we played well, but we own it," Andonovski said. "We know it’s not good enough. We know we’re not happy with our performance, but it’s, you know, we qualified for the next round. We’re moving on."
Andonovski and the USWNT will return to the pitch on Sunday for a knockout contest against the winner of Group G.
