Carli Lloyd had an extremely accomplished amateur and professional soccer career. Her résumé includes two FIFA Women’s World Cup championships and two Olympic gold medals, in addition to two FIFA Player of the Year awards.
So it probably should be no surprise that Lloyd has no insecurity or shame about anything that happened during her nearly 30 years on the pitch. That would explain her candor when she was asked on X (formerly Twitter) about the U.S. women’s national team once losing to “a bunch of 15-year-old boys.”
“Yes, it’s true,” Lloyd responded. “I know… thousands of people have already brought that up. They were good.”
If the fan was trying to embarrass Lloyd or “get her” with his question, that match is no secret. When the USWNT lost to the FC Dallas U-15 boys academy team, 5–2, outlets including CBS Sports reported the result. It was part of the team’s preparation for a friendly against Russia.
Screen cap from @CarliLloyd on X (formerly Twitter).
Lloyd added that the match wasn’t the only time the USWNT lost to a squad of younger boys, either.
“We actually lost to a youth Bayern Munich team in my career as well,” she continued. “But then we went on to win Olympics and World Cups. So…”
Haha. They should beat us. Bigger, stronger, faster! Boys always gave us a run for our money! It was great prep. https://t.co/QCuxA1jM40
— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) November 9, 2023
Another fan tweeted a photo in Lloyd’s defense that showed the size difference between the women and boys players. More importantly, the FC Dallas U-15 team was stocked with players including Tanner Tessmann, who now plays for the U.S. men’s national team and Venezia FC of Serie B.
As Lloyd said, matches like this were a key part of the USWNT’s preparation. The team went on to win the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (played in 2021 due to COVID). Those tune-ups paid off.
