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]
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