Carli Lloyd Says She 'Hated' Playing for USWNT During Final Years of Career

Carli Lloyd is one of the most accomplished players in United States women's national team history, but the superstar didn't enjoy herself in the final stretch.

"It was really tough and challenging to be playing these last several years. I mean to be quite honest, I hated it," Lloyd told former USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo on the podcast Hope Solo Speaks. "It wasn't fun going in. It was only for love of the game, really, for me. I wanted to win and I wanted to help the team, but the culture within the team was the worst I had ever seen it."

Lloyd played her last match with the national team in October, finishing her career with 134 goals and 64 assists, both in the top five of USWNT history. She helped the squad win the World Cup twice (2015, 2019) to go with two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012).

Solo, who last played for the team in 2016, agreed with Lloyd, saying she didn't like the "social aspect" of training camp.

Lloyd later clarified her thoughts in an Instagram video (around the 1:10 mark):

"By culture, I am referring to mentality. Respect for coaches, teammates, support staff. I'm also talking about the drive, the desire, the hunger, the fight, the accepting a role and doing it to the best of your ability. Giving it your all every time you step on the field, giving it your all in training, and giving it your all whether it's five minutes on the field, 10 minutes on the field, 60 minutes on the field or 90 minutes on the field. It doesn't matter. You represent the crest and you represent your country with pride because there are millions of other people who would love to be in our shoes playing on the national team, and so you can never take it for granted."

The 39-year-old did not mention anyone by name, but it was clear that not everyone had the same mindset on the field.

Lloyd had to live by these words late in her career, transitioning from a go-to scoring option to a bench player. She started just one of seven matches during the team's run to a World Cup championship in 2019.

The two-time FIFA Player of the Year indicated the players were still able to work toward winning, even if they didn't necessarily like each other off the field.

"The reality is we're all a team, we're all not best friends," Lloyd said (around the 2:50 mark), "but collectively, we have one goal and that is always to win championships and to win games."