Carli Lloyd continues to speak out about the U.S. women’s national team’s perceived lack of a winning culture following the team’s 2-1 loss to Germany.
The two-time World Cup winner took to Twitter on Friday, writing that the USWNT has lost the underdog mentality that had once defined it. On Thursday, the team lost its third straight game, marking its longest losing streak since 1993.
“The winning culture and mentality that has carried on from generation to generation within the USWNT has been fizzling away,” Lloyd wrote on Twitter.
“I said it when I retired,” she continued. “I saw it slipping away. Players have to embody that. That’s been our DNA since the 80s, but not so much anymore.”
Lloyd, who spent 17 years on the national team, has been outspoken during her retirement about the end of her time with the USWNT. In March, she appeared on a podcast with Hope Solo, during which she said that she hated playing on the team over the last few years.
She also said that the culture “was the worst I had ever seen it.”
Lloyd continued to emphasize the culture shift on Friday. She also recognized the increase in talent and competition on other country’s national teams.
“Accountability. Passed down from the 80s to 90s to the 2000s and here we are now….has been slowly fizzling away. Wanting to win has taken on a different meaning,” she wrote in another tweet. “The rest of the world doesn’t fear us anymore. They used to lose the game before it started.
“We have more technically better and talented players than ever before in the history of the USWNT. The rest of the world have invested more. The rest of the world are also fit and mentally tougher. That was always our edge. But now that’s fading. So you’re left with just talent?”
But Lloyd also placed some of the lack of culture on coaching.
“I do believe it’s the coaches responsibility to instill that,” she wrote. “You can’t expect all players to automatically have that. Trainings need to be competitive. There has to be an underdog mentality. And to fight till the end in every game and training. Winning friendlies matter.”
Lloyd isn’t the only former USWNT player to speak out. Following the loss, Heather O’Reilly addressed the team’s lack of aggression in the final 30 minutes.
