On Monday night, the United States needed a star midfielder to step up and deliver. After 90 minutes plus stoppage time, she finally did.
Carli Lloyd had the most incisive critique of the United States’ 4-1 shellacking at the feet of Belgium.
“I felt like they lost the game before they even stepped out on the pitch,” said Lloyd, the Fox Sports analyst on the post-match show. “And I’m not sure why, and I don’t know the reasons. But just from the beginning: chasing. Tentative. Scared. Just not confident on the ball.”
It is one thing for fans to rage on social media, but quite another for one of the greatest players in American soccer history, a two-time Women’s World Cup winner and double Olympic gold medalist, to call out the disappointment. Then Lloyd, from Delran Township, continued with some more Jersey-girl bluntness.
“You wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big-time moments,” Lloyd said. “And I gotta be honest: I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic. Whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game — and, really, the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there.”
Lloyd has been refreshing throughout the World Cup, and her candor is reminiscent of what the late MLB stalwart TV analyst Tim McCarver used to say: “My No. 1 obligation is to the people watching the game. I’ve always felt that praise without objective criticism ceases to be praise. Any intelligent person can figure that out.”
Often, ex-players offer excuses for the current lineup. On a desk featuring Alexi Lalas and Clint Dempsey, Lloyd’s analysis was the most memorable and impactful — she didn’t give any quarter.
USA’s dreams come to an end in the round of 16
Tom Bogert and Lia Griffin
Overall, Fox’s coverage is the best it has been in its three World Cups, though completely shying away from the controversy of President Donald Trump and the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s ban was a mistake. It was swirling in the air and it should have been handled directly — at least how it might influence the players’ focus.
Besides that flaw, Fox did get the atmosphere right. Leading up to the game, it mixed the “College GameDay”-style on-site approach with a lot of nuance into what needed to happen during the match. It felt big, and Lloyd was not alone in stepping to the forefront.
🎙️ @CarliLloyd shares her thoughts after the USA exited the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Round of 16 pic.twitter.com/AiXMZCNn9P
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026
Game analyst Stuart Holden was quick to point to Pulisic early. In the pregame on Monday, with anticipation high, Holden said he thought Pulisic was the most important player — not a dramatic statement considering. However, from the opening whistle, Holden noted Pulisic was not playing with moxie and looked to be lacking confidence. It gave context in real time.
It was Lloyd’s commentary, though, that truly cut through. The woman who probably had the greatest individual performance in American soccer history a little more than a decade ago with a hat trick, including her legendary half-field shot, in the 5-2 World Cup final blowout of Japan, has the resume to have rhetorical impact.
While the dreams that the U.S. men’s team might match some of the women’s accomplishments always seemed far-fetched, a deeper run this year was in the offing. Lloyd gave some deserved flowers to the men.
“Aside from this loss, the brighter storyline is that it’s been a fantastic World Cup,” Lloyd said. “This team has united the country. They have gotten American fans to fall in love with them. And there is a bright future. But this is just a real disappointing loss to go out on.”
Her supportive words meant more because she had already given her honest analysis.
