Whether you agree with her rather pointed criticism of the United States Women’s National Team or not, Carli Lloyd made a name for herself at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Of course, if you’re a fan of the sport or the national team, Lloyd was already a household name as a player, but she didn’t enter that conversation as a broadcaster until she took the gloves off at this year’s World Cup.
Now, you can’t mention the 2023 team without thinking of Lloyd, who held back no punches when she talked about the team she was once a legend for in such a forthright manner. Last week, Apple analyst Taylor Twellman and NBC Premier League host Rebecca Lowe discussed just that on the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast.
Here’s an excerpt of some of Lloyd’s comments for a better understanding of what it was that Twellman and Lowe were discussing:
“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 being ‘hello’ to your family. But to be dancing? To be smiling? I mean, the player of the match was that post. You are lucky to not be going home right now.”
Lloyd also had some harsh words for USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski, claiming that things have “just been spiraling out of control” under his leadership.
“This isn’t a surprise to me. I voiced my concern several years ago, I voiced my concerns when I left the team, I voiced my concern to the team when I was at the Olympics when we were competing for that Bronze Medal game. And I haven’t seen much that has changed. From a tactical perspective, it’s been the same. It’s been very predictable. Players don’t seem to be cohesive on the field, don’t seem to be playing in synchronicity.
“There’s something not right. And it’s not one thing, there’s multiple things that have just been spiraling out of control, and now it’s being revealed on the world’s biggest stage. You can’t get away with doing all of these things for so many years.”
Lloyd also had harsh criticism for USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski.
"There's multiple things that have just been spiraling out of control and now it's being revealed on the world's biggest stage." pic.twitter.com/o5tB4leKzm
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 1, 2023
Those criticisms sparked a lot of discussion. And that’s led to Twellman and Lowe offering their opinions.
“She was doing her job and good on her for doing so,” Twellman said. “Very few athletes, both men and women, when they retire, the red light comes on, they’re scared to same something because they’re friends, ex-teammates. But that’s the job. You’re being paid real money to give your opinion because you’re credible. You’re Carli Lloyd. You scored a hat trick in the Women’s World Cup final. You have more credibility than anybody on that desk, so say it!”
“When you go from being a soccer player to being a pundit, it’s not always a particularly easy transition, especially if you are pretty young, fresh out of the game, knew a lot of people still playing. Carli’s same,” Lowe said. “She knows most of those women on the team, and so it’s difficult because you are going from being their friend to somebody who now has to speak very brutally, very honestly…”
“I thought what Carli came out with, as she’s been talking about all World Cup has been really good. She has been so strong and it’s not easy to do. And there’s criticism towards her…but this is her opinion and the job is no longer to be a football player; it is no longer to be friends with Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. The job is to be a Fox Soccer pundit. I think that’s where lots of pundits down the years that I’ve worked with; they struggle with that because they don’t want to say anything about their friends that might upset their friends, so they just don’t say anything.”
Lloyd has stuck by her comments, but she also explained her rationale a bit:
"I want people to understand that I care deeply about this team."@CarliLloyd shares how her previous comments on the USWNT come from a place of admiration and how they were reflected in a legacy of success and generational greatness 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2TIv8YQOVr
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 2, 2023
Both Lowe and Twellman have stood by Lloyd, amid the criticism.
“I just think there aren’t enough Carli Lloyds,” Lowe said.
Maybe there will be more of them after this year’s World Cup. Though, it remains to be seen if networks push for more coverage from former players like Lloyd or if the backlash will dissuade them.
[Offside with Taylor Twellman via Barrett Sports Media]
