Alexi Lalas applauds Carli Lloyd’s USWNT critiques: ‘Wonderful’

Carli Lloyd didn’t have to look far to find a supporter of her criticisms of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Tuesday, after the USWNT tied Portugal 0-0 to narrowly advance past the group stage, Lloyd took issue with the players dancing, smiling and taking selfies with fans following the game.

Alexi Lalas commended his colleague on Fox Sports’ studio programming.

“Not everybody is wired like Carli Lloyd, and by the way, you were wonderful yesterday,” Lalas told Lloyd.

“Like you said, it came from a place that was personal, emotional and honest. And while we’re not all wired the same, I do think we share that when we are talking about our national teams, because ultimately we’re talking about our country, and we want this to go well.

“We also want to have pride in what is going on on the field. And yes, it’s a whole new day here in terms of getting out of the group. They’ve got to fix some things going forward, and the criticism that they got is warranted and fair, but there also is the belief that maybe there is another team hiding behind this one that can do better — a big maybe! — because if there’s not they’re gonna go home quick.”

Lloyd, one of the most decorated players in the history of U.S. women’s soccer, spoke passionately after the game on Tuesday.

“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.

“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.”

She later doubled down in an interview with Fox Sports digital.

“It is no longer we want to win because we want to win. No, we want everything that comes with winning, and we think we can just roll out and win games,” Lloyd said.

“And that’s not the case, and teams see that. They see the arrogance in the US and see that they’re not this unstoppable team. They see that they’re able to be broken down and beaten.”

On Wednesday’s studio show, Lloyd clarified her remarks as having come from a place of passion, not bitterness.

“I was very critical of the team last night,” Lloyd said. “I’ve had some time to reflect, to sleep on it, and I want people to understand that I care deeply about this team.”

USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski had called Lloyd’s comments “insane”.

“The one thing I want to say is that this team wanted to win this game more than anything else,” Andonovski said per ESPN.

“They’ve put everything they could in preparation for this tournament and every game that they go into, so to question the mentality of this team, to question the willingness to win, to compete, I think it’s insane. 

“I’ve never seen this team step on the field and not try hard or not compete,” he continued. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, they can say whatever they want, but I just know how this team feels. It’s not like we played well by any means. We owned it. We know it’s not good enough. We’re not happy with our performance, but we qualified for the next round. We’re moving on.” 

The USWNT plays Sweden in the World Cup’s Round of 16 on Sunday morning.