The U.S. has long reigned over women’s soccer, but its place at the top is being challenged by countries that are finally leveraging the structure and prestige of the sport’s traditional powers. USWNT legend and FOX Sports’ FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer analyst Carli Lloyd joined Sports Illustrated to discuss how the USWNT can continue their dynasty.
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00:00 The Women's World Cup starts July 20th on Fox,
00:03 and who better to discuss it with than Carly Lloyd?
00:06 I'm Robin Lumber, joined by Carly Lloyd herself.
00:09 And Carly, the U.S. Women's National Team
00:11 is going for that three-peat, so right off the bat,
00:13 they gonna get it done?
00:15 -They have the talent, they have the depth,
00:17 they definitely have the ability to do it.
00:19 It's just, it's so extremely hard to predict anything
00:23 because going into a tournament,
00:26 you never know what to expect.
00:27 And then even when things kind of unfold,
00:30 you know, it's just, it's really hard.
00:32 I mean, and I think this is gonna be
00:33 the hardest World Cup to win,
00:37 but they certainly have the ability to do it,
00:39 and it's gonna be exciting to see.
00:41 -If they did pull that off, would you consider that
00:43 the greatest dynasty in sports history?
00:45 -I mean, I think that the dynasties previously
00:48 to complete, you know, if it would be a fifth star,
00:53 yeah, I mean, I think that since the inception
00:55 of the Women's National Team,
00:57 it's been so successful over the years,
01:00 and yeah, it would be pretty incredible, absolutely.
01:05 -Yeah, obviously you were a part of that.
01:06 What is it about the program, the talent,
01:09 the machine that it has become
01:12 that allows it to be so consistently successful?
01:15 -You know, the investment, obviously.
01:17 We've had the support of U.S. soccer,
01:20 and obviously we've had to keep pushing that
01:22 and making that better, as we've done recently,
01:26 but, yeah, we've had the support,
01:28 and it's just the DNA of the team,
01:30 the mentality aspect, you know, coming into training camps
01:34 and making it ultra-competitive,
01:38 and it's just -- it's been part of the team for so long,
01:44 and it's just carried on from generation to generation,
01:48 and we've always had that extra edge,
01:52 but as we can see now, the world is catching up.
01:55 The gap is definitely closing.
01:57 There's a lot more support, a lot more investment
02:00 from around the world with all these other teams,
02:03 so their technical ability and tactical ability,
02:07 and now they have a bit of the mental edge
02:10 and confidence to know that they can beat the U.S.
02:15 You know, that definitely, you know,
02:18 decreases the gap a little bit, but we've always had that edge
02:21 because it's just been part of our DNA.
02:23 -To your last point, which teams do you think
02:25 are the biggest threats to the U.S.?
02:27 -I think England, for sure.
02:29 Obviously, you know, coming off a European championship,
02:33 you know, France.
02:35 I think France is going to perhaps
02:38 surprise a bit more people.
02:40 I think they've always kind of underperformed in world events,
02:44 but they've got a new manager,
02:45 and that manager came from Saudi Arabia
02:49 from the Men's World Cup,
02:51 so I think that he's going to do a really good job
02:53 of rallying them together.
02:55 The likes of Spain, Germany, I even think, you know, Brazil.
02:58 Some of their players have been playing
03:00 exceptionally well in the NWSL.
03:03 And then you've got teams like Ireland,
03:05 who are debuting in their first World Cup,
03:07 but they're, you know, doing well.
03:08 They just played the U.S. recently in two friendlies
03:11 and made it really difficult for them to break them down,
03:13 so it's going to be really, really exciting.
03:17 You can't discount Australia either on home soil.
03:21 They're going to be fired up.
03:22 They're going to have the crowd behind them as well,
03:24 so it's going to be really exciting.
03:27 -You know, I'm interested, in your role as an analyst,
03:29 have you thought about, you know,
03:30 the difficulty of potentially critiquing a former teammate?
03:34 -No, I don't think so.
03:36 I think, you know, I want to try to be fair.
03:37 I want to be honest as well,
03:39 but I also know that the game of soccer is never perfect,
03:42 and, you know, if you misplay a pass,
03:46 you know, that's not something I'm going to yell about online
03:52 or on TV about it,
03:53 so I think it's just about being fair and honest,
03:57 and, you know, I think I'm just really excited to be there,
04:03 to be able to follow the World Cup, you know,
04:08 and we're going to have a really good time with it,
04:10 so I think, yeah, just looking forward to it.
04:13 -Women's World Cup, obviously, July 20th on Fox,
04:16 beginning, it's going to be super exciting.
04:18 Now, the men's World Cup was won by Argentina.
04:21 From a broad perspective, I was just curious,
04:23 your thoughts on Messi heading to the MLS and Inter-Miami.
04:28 What do you think that means for US soccer as a whole?
04:30 -I think it's probably the biggest sports move
04:34 ever in the United States.
04:35 I mean, it doesn't get much bigger than this,
04:37 Messi coming over to the US.
04:40 It's just such great timing as well
04:42 because I think that the MLS is doing well,
04:44 the NWSL is doing well.
04:46 You've got the 2026 World Cup coming to the US.
04:49 I mean, we're just continuing to ride this wave,
04:52 and he's just going to help build the MLS
04:56 even more than what it is, so it's really, really exciting,
05:00 but I don't think there's anything bigger sports-wise
05:04 and a player coming over than Messi.
05:07 It's going to be incredible, and, yeah,
05:09 it's pretty surreal that it's actually happening.
05:12 -You mentioned some of the leagues --
05:13 MLS, NWSL, Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League,
05:16 obviously, Serie A.
05:17 What's your favorite league to watch?
05:20 -I mean, I like the English Premier League.
05:22 I like watching that.
05:23 La Liga, I feel like I watched more
05:26 kind of when Messi was playing,
05:27 and I try to catch as many games as I can,
05:31 but I've actually been really, really busy.
05:34 I think I've been watching more NWSL games,
05:37 obviously staying in touch with the women's game a bit more
05:40 than some of these other European leagues.
05:44 -And, obviously, you'll be focused on the World Cup
05:47 come this summer.
05:48 What are you looking forward to the most
05:49 about getting going with your coverage on FOPS?
05:52 -I think, for me, it's going to be those storylines,
05:54 those underdog stories, those inspirational stories.
05:58 We're going to see some teams.
06:00 We're going to see some players.
06:01 There's going to be stars that are made.
06:03 There's always stars that are made at a World Cup,
06:05 and you live for those moments.
06:08 It makes it really special, and I think that, you know,
06:12 the Women's World Cup has just constantly been growing
06:16 with each and every World Cup,
06:18 and this is going to be the biggest, the best,
06:20 the most competitive for the first time
06:24 in Women's World Cup history.
06:25 There's going to be 32 teams in it this time,
06:27 so more teams, that means more opportunities,
06:32 and I'm just looking forward to kind of just seeing
06:34 how everything unfolds and seeing those stars,
06:37 those young, emerging stars
06:39 that are born at the world's best event.
06:43 -Carly Lloyd, appreciate your time.
06:44 World Cup on -- Fox Women's World Cup on FOX
06:47 starts July 20th.
06:48 -Thank you. Appreciate it.
06:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]