Carli Lloyd has been famously critical of the U.S. women’s national team, and on the latest episode of Kickin’ It, Midge Purce responded.
While Purce has seen some clips, she admittedly did not see the clips of Lloyd talking about the team when she was on the show. When on the CBS Sports show, Lloyd echoed what she had said in Australia – that the team lacked focus, and instead was worried about their own individual branding.
She even went as far as saying that there is “so much fundamentally wrong” with the USWNT program, and that there aren’t any players on the team that possess a “champion mentality.”
When asked about Lloyd’s comments, Purce said that she “disagrees.”
“I don’t think she’s wrong, I just disagree,” she said. “I think that two things can exist at once. I think you can have a lot of joy and have the time of your life at the World Cup, this position that you worked so hard to be in and also turn it on on the field at the same time. I think that it’s really easy to point fingers and say, ‘oh this person’s behavior is a reflection of the lack of success they’re having.’ Whereas they’ve been successful and have done the same thing.”
Purce also points to what she calls a “generational shift” between players. One example she points out is the existence of TikTok – which wasn’t around when Lloyd was playing.
“She’s older,” Purce said when asked if Lloyd was “old.”
“She’s a U.S. OG for sure,” Purce continued. “She’s a veteran, she’s a legend. There is no controversy on whether or not that woman is a legend. And she’s a U.S. legend and there was no TikTok when she was playing and that is not controversial either.
“I would say that generationally the focus of media and how that interplays with the soccer world and the industry has changed. But I don’t think that it’s fair to say that’s the reason they didn’t perform when there are so many other issues. I think it’s comorbidity rather than just to blame the player.”
When asked whether or not Lloyd’s criticisms over the team’s culture ring true, and that the team isn’t as competitive as it used to be, Purce noted that it wasn’t her experience with the team.
“But again she’s been there for however long and that’s her experience,” she said. “So I don’t think my experience negates hers. But I felt like in my time with the national team I didn’t feel that anyone wanted to win any less.”
