Lloyd: USWNT lacked England’s WWC mentality

SYDNEY — United States women’s national team legend Carli Lloyd has said she has no regrets on her criticism of the team at the Women’s World Cup, and added that it needed a mentality similar to England‘s.

Lloyd, who retired in 2021, was critical of the USWNT performance in the 2023 World Cup as the Americans eventually crashed out in the round of 16 to Sweden on penalties. And she doubled down on that criticism on Saturday in Sydney.

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“I don’t walk back on anything I said,” Lloyd said. “I speak from experience, being part of the team, I played with a lot of those players, played under Vlatko [Andonovski], was still very much a part of that cycle. I unfortunately saw the trajectory of where the team was heading. Unfortunately it was not a good performance, and what I said was exactly how I felt and came from the heart.”

Lloyd added that USWNT wasn’t fit enough at the recent World Cup and compared the team’s efforts to those of England, which reached the final for the first time in its history.

“We have all the resources poured in, we have the talent pool, we have the support, we have the experience, and so there’s all this narrative of ‘the world has caught up,’ but in my opinion the team wasn’t fit enough, the team didn’t show that mentality that is needed to win like you’re seeing with England,” Lloyd said.

“You’re seeing an England side that essentially has kind of resembled our teams over the years. They go down a goal, but there’s no need to panic, they’re figuring it out. They’ve not necessarily been playing their best football, but they’ve got the resilience, and I think that’s key and that’s why they’re in the final.

“I do think there is a generational era that is over, and so, now, what does that look like? What does the future look like? I have no idea because the next bit is obviously getting a coach in there.”

Andonovski resigned from his post as USWNT manager on Thursday. Lloyd believes the team’s next appointment is “the most crucial hire that U.S. Soccer is going to have to make, and they have to get it right.”

And when asked whom she’d like to be the new manager of the USWNT, Lloyd earmarked England manager Sarina Wiegman, who is preparing her side for Sunday’s World Cup final with Spain.

“If I could come back and play again, I’d love to play for Sarina Wiegman,” Lloyd said. “She just looks like an amazing person, amazing coach, understands that line of treating the players with respect and getting to know them but also getting the best out of them.

“I think she’s great, but clearly there’s been some talk of her not going anywhere, so I honestly don’t know. There’s not many coaches that I would say, besides her, that has really elevated themselves to be one of the best.”

Wiegman has already ruled herself out of the vacancy and said she wants to honor her contract with the English FA, which lasts through to 2025. Lloyd hopes that whatever coach the Americans opt for uses the chance to start afresh.

“I don’t think that U.S. Soccer should bring in somebody that has been there, not even an assistant coach,” Lloyd said.

“[Matildas manager] Tony Gustavsson? Too much history with the team. You’ve got Laura Harvey out there who’s a great coach but again has been part of the youth, been assistant with the national team.

“In my opinion, clean slate, you bring somebody in that has no ties but also bring in somebody on the assistant side that can help from a U.S. perspective that knows the players and all of that. It’s going to be very tricky.”