Carli Lloyd opens up about USWNT memories, previews 2023 Women’s World Cup

On the eve of the Women’s World Cup, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time World Cup champion and Fox Sports analyst Carli Lloyd spends a few minutes kicking things around with The Post’s Steve Serby.
Q: What do you like best about the U.S. team?
A: I think there’s some exciting, new, young talented players.
There’s 14 players that have never been to a World Cup.
I think there’s a lot of pressure, but there’s always pressure on this team.
No matter what event, there’s always pressure.
So, I think that the group knows that.
It’s really hard to predict, it’s really hard to know exactly how things are going to unfold.
This is the most competitive World Cup that has happened to date.
There’s a couple of different teams that can potentially lift that trophy. It’s gonna be really, really hard.
And the best team that comes together … and is in peak form is gonna be the team that lifts the trophy.
Doesn’t matter what you’ve done prior, doesn’t matter how much talent you have on the squad.
Teams win championships and that’s gonna be the key for the U.S.
Carli Lloyd, pictured in June 2023, won two World Cup titles and two gold medals in the Olympics. Getty Images
Q: What advice would you give them about handling the pressure that comes with shooting for a three-peat?
A: I can imagine that nobody is even talking about a three-peat within that group.
That’s not something that is being talked about.
The goal is always winning a World Cup, whether it’s your first, second, third, fourth, fifth.
Their talk will be that their first objective is getting out of the group.
Because if you don’t get out of the group, there’s no repeat.
You cannot look ahead, ever. You cannot talk about the Final because there’s no guarantee to be in that Final. . . one game at a time, one day at a time, and making it out of the group is the first goal, and then after that, it’s finding a way to win every game because if you don’t win, you go home and you’re eliminated.
They’ve been preparing the same as if they were going for their first World Cup or going for a third World Cup in a row.
Q: Who can be breakout stars for the U.S. team?
A: Hopefully the players that are hearing their names can really be kind of be unfazed by that.
Whether you’re the first player on the roster or the last player on the roster, there’s pressure no matter what.
But I think Sophia Smith … Trinity Rodman … Naomi Girma … stars are born and made, and sometimes the unexpected ones, too.
Q: Scouting reports: Goaltender Alyssa Naeher.
A: Alyssa is experienced. She’s a great shot-stopper. She is incredibly athletic, good at coming out on crosses.
She could be a key factor here. I know that she’s been kind of having a disappointing club season with the Chicago Red Stars.
Hopefully her confidence is good going in. … You can really count on Alyssa.
Carli Lloyd called USWNT goalie Alyssa Naeher “experienced” and a “great shot-stopper.” Getty Images for USSF
Q: Crystal Dunn.
A: Probably one of the best left backs in the world.
She proved that in 2019.
She’s incredibly difficult to beat.
Her ability to track back and win the ball back is second to none.
Q: Lynn Williams.
A: She’s really evolved her game. I see a confident Lynn Williams, I see a Lynn Williams who isn’t second-guessing herself and isn’t trying to kind of fit herself in this box.
She’s really been playing freely and I think enjoying her role, and also her ability to press and get back on defense is something that doesn’t go unnoticed.
She’s incredibly important in that aspect.
Q: Alyssa Thompson.
A: Alyssa Thompson is an exciting young player.
She’s got the ability to go 1 v. 1, she also has the awareness of when to slow things down a little bit, when to cut inside, take a shot, when to pass the ball.
She’s definitely somebody who, at her age (18), is making some really good decisions on the ball.
This is gonna be a new territory for her.
Q: Trinity Rodman.
A: She’s got the pace, she’s got the athleticism, she also has the technical ability. . . just goal-scoring ability, ability to come off the bench, ability to start. … I think she’s hungry making her own name for herself, and just doing whatever it takes to get the job done.
Q: Sophia Smith.
A: She’s got incredible pace, incredible ability to beat players … goal-scorer.
She’s really evolved her game, and the aspect of being able to score from many different positions within the field, which makes her great.
Q: Alex Morgan.
A: Obviously goal scorer. Always has been … the awareness to find herself inside the box and a great finishing ability.
Q: Rose Lavelle.
A: When she’s healthy she’s a great player. She’s definitely creating havoc amongst the opposition.
Q: Who are some of the favorites?
A: Spain. The only hesitation I have with them is they’ve had some off-the-field issues, which may impact the locker room a little bit.
I don’t know how that is from that standpoint.
But if it’s not an issue, they should be able to do pretty well.
I would say France.
They’ve got really talented players, but they’ve never been able to mentally make it further than where they’ve always kind of gotten.
The new coach that’s come in, he’s injected confidence, belief in them, and so this could be the missing piece that they need. Australia. England. Brazil.
Q: Your hat trick in the 2015 World Cup Final against Japan.
A: Those types of moments don’t happen all the time. And, to have had a moment like that from an individual standpoint and then team standpoint, was just truly amazing.
A lot of people bring up that moment. Holding that record of the most-watched final just speaks to the magnitude of that moment.
Q: Your third goal from the half-way line is arguably the greatest goal in USWNT history.
A: I think just the journey itself, the expectation going into it, the amount of pressure that we all had, the pressure that I put on myself.
Alex Morgan reacts after the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup final match Japan vs USA on July 17, 2011. AFP via Getty Images
We were really wanting to make the country proud because we felt like we had let down the country in 2011 losing to Japan (on penalty kicks).
We were very defensive-minded, and I think playing a bit fearful and scared and reserved in those beginning days, and we just got momentum.
The feeling that we all had was just such a confident feeling going into that game.
That third I scored from midfield was pretty wild, how it completed a hat trick. It was like I was playing in the park and I was having fun and I was free.
I was not thinking about anything other than being in that moment.
Q: You won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals. How do they compare?
A: You’re winning, you’re on top, you’re crowned a champion or an Olympic gold medalist.
Being an Olympian and winning an Olympic gold, there’s not many people that can say that they’ve done that.
Carli Lloyd poses with the trophy after the United States won the 2019 World Cup. Getty Images
You’re representing something bigger than just your team, you’re representing the whole of America, USA, and the people that really don’t tune in for World Cup soccer are tuning in because they’re rooting on Team USA and individuals, and so it’s an amazing feeling when that medal, that heavy medal, gets put around your neck, and the national anthem’s being done. It’s incredible.
And then on the flip side, winning the World Cup, literally every soccer player dreams of being able to do that, and to have been among my teammates winning two of those, the feeling never gets old. It’s the biggest soccer event that you can take part in, and it’s really spectacular.
They both hold the sane meaning of winning, but they both represent a little bit of a different feel and a different vibe.
Q: What made you so clutch?
A: I’m not afraid to fail. I’m not afraid to try something and not be good at it.
I’ll just keep trying until it clicks, until I can get it.
And there’s just always been that pursuit of trying to succeed, just trying to be great. I think through my failures, and through my obstacles along the way, they say the best thing to do is just plow right through them, and tackle them.
Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe are pictured with their medals after winning the 2019 World Cup. Getty Images
I think that’s ultimately what I did with each challenge throughout my career.
When you get through one challenge and then you get though another challenge, you just continually become mentally strong, and it gives you a sense of knowing that whatever comes your way; you’re gonna be able to get through it.
When people were doubting me, when fans or media, coaches, didn’t think I could do something, I always wanted to show them that I could. I always wanted to prove that I could.
There’s some people that thrive under pressure, there’s some that fold under pressure, and I just truly only wanted to thrive. I prepared like no other.
I ran more than anybody, I trained more than anybody, I took care of my body more than anybody.
I lived and breathed the sport and I did everything possible to put myself in the best position.
I think it’s just probably something I had at a younger age, but I fine-tuned my body and mind and was able to do it on the world stage.
Carli Lloyd and Hope Solo celebrate after winning the gold medal during the London Olympics in 2012. Corbis via Getty Images
Q: Will America like watching this team play, and is a championship a realistic goal for this team?
A: I think if the U.S. come out the way that they’re capable of coming out, yes, absolutely. It’s hard to predict. Do I think that they can certainly get to the Final and lift that trophy? Absolutely.
Would I be surprised if they maybe get knocked out in the quarterfinal by a good team?
That can happen, also. Certainly have the talent, they have the team to be able to do it, it’s just gonna be a matter of being able to get it done.
Q: Are they a fun team to watch?
A: Yeah, they can be a fun team to watch if they’re playing well, and they’re leaving their creativity out on the field.
I think that’s what the fans want to see.
They want to see them not only reaching their potential, but kinda crushing that potential.