U.S. Women’s National Team star forward Carli Lloyd, fresh off of winning her second-consecutive World Cup , acknowledged that she was frustrated with a diminished role, despite the team’s historic success. "I'm not going to lie and sugarcoat it," Lloyd said in a podcast with ESPN . "It was absolutely the worst time of my life. It affected my relationship with my husband, with friends. It really was rock bottom of my entire career. But somehow, you see light at the end of the tunnel, and I can honestly say I'm having more fun now playing than I ever have in my career. I think I just learned a lot throughout it."

Lloyd, 37, played in all seven matches during the World Cup, but was relegated mostly as a reserve player off the bench . In the interview, Lloyd said that when USWNT coach Jill Ellis was transitioning to a 4-3-3 formation in 2017, Lloyd sprained her ankle as a member of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Houston Dash.