Carli Lloyd says she shared her criticisms of the USWNT’s culture with her teammates during the Tokyo Olympics.
Lloyd first made headlines last week when she said she “hated” playing with the USWNT in recent years. Lloyd was speaking with Hope Solo on the former USWNT goalkeeper’s new podcast, “Hope Solo Speaks.”
Lloyd says the USWNT’s culture became “toxic” following the 2015 World Cup, saying the team lost their collective focus on winning as players were flooded with endorsement deals and brand opportunities.
When someone on Twitter dared Lloyd to tell Becky Sauerbrunn and Crystal Dunn to their faces that they didn’t care about winning, Lloyd responded, “I don’t need to nor be dared.”
“Everyone in Tokyo heard this already as well as when I retired. I’m all for building brands, endorsement deals, paid opps, etc. But when these things besides the collective goal of winning comes second, that’s not a winning formula.”
I don’t need to nor be dared. Everyone in Tokyo heard this already as well as when I retired. I’m all for building brands, endorsement deals, paid opps etc but when these things besides the collective goal of winning comes second that’s not a winning formula. It’s simple.Get it? https://t.co/30qQi2C1ro
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) March 7, 2022
Lloyd retired from the national team in 2021 after logging 316 caps, the second most all-time. Ahead of her retirement, Lloyd spoke frequently about her 17 years on the national team, saying she was going to “miss them dearly” in reference to her teammates.
She also talked about her excitement for the future of the team, despite the USWNT coming up short at the Tokyo Olympics. The heavy favorites to win gold, the USWNT had to settle for bronze after being upset by Canada in the semifinal match.
In the third-place match against Australia, Lloyd scored a brace to help the USWNT win, 4-3.
“I’m saying goodbye on the field,” Lloyd previously said, “but I want to continue to help in any way possible. I’m going to be the biggest fan, the biggest cheerleader, and I want to see this team continue to succeed.”