Carli Lloyd: USWNT ‘failing’ at development levels after disastrous loss

The USWNT has serious problems, and Carli Lloyd has thoughts.

Lloyd, a former USWNT superstar who won two World Cups, Olympic golds and FIFA Player of the Year Awards, has been one of the most outspoken critics of this year’s team.

Following the USWNT’s miserable loss to Sweden during the Round of 16 in penalty kicks — the first time the U.S. had ever lost before the semifinals — Lloyd said she thought the team’s problems ran deep.

“It used to be that everybody feared the U.S. and the U.S. was going in confident to these tournaments, but I think when you win, it’s easy to get comfortable. I think this is a humble moment for the program, the players, the coaching staff, and it’s a wake-up call for the entire program because it’s easy to turn a blind eye when the senior team is winning,” Lloyd said on FOX Sports.

“But this stems down at the youth level. The last time there was a youth World Cup championship that was won, it came in 2012, and that was with [Julie] Ertz, [Crystal] Dunn, [Kristie] Mewis, Morgan Brian.

“So we are failing at the U17 level, we are failing at the U20 level and it has to be a priority to develop players, to get them fit again, to get them technically sound, tactically sound, and now we’re chasing the rest of the world.”

Lloyd has been unafraid to blast the USWNT throughout the entirety of the tournament, also criticizing the team following its surprisingly upbeat reaction following a goalless draw to Portugal that set up an inopportune single-elimination bracket matchup against Sweden.

“I have never witnessed something like that. There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family,” Lloyd said on the Fox Sports studio show. 

“But to be dancing, to be smiling. I mean, the player of the match was that post. You were lucky to not be going home right now.”