Charly Arnolt Surprised That Carli Lloyd Criticized USWNT, Thinks American Squad Needs To Focus On Momentum

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Carly Lloyd's swift criticism of the USWNT following its draw against Portugal in the Women's World Cup has sparked quite a two-sided reaction. Either you agree that this American side needs a bit of humbling after a disappointing start to the tournament, or you don't.

OutKick's Charly Arnolt falls in the latter category and explained on Wednesday's edition of 'Varney & Company' on Fox News that she was surprised Lloyd took aim at the USWNT after the scoreless draw.

"You heard Carli Lloyd say that there was no reason for them to even be celebrating because the goalpost was the best player on the field," Arnolt explained. "But I will say that I do disagree with Carli because I think having momentum and having a good attitude is sometimes the most important thing to get through this grueling tournaments."

Lloyd's main criticism of the USWNT stemmed from the team celebrating and dancing with fans after the uninspring 0-0 draw.

“I have never witnessed – and just seeing these images for the first time at the desk – I have never witnessed something like that. There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family, but to be dancing, to be smiling. I mean the player of that match was the post. You are lucky to not be going home right now,” Lloyd said after the match.

Arnolt didn't agree with Lloyd's calling out of the team, instead, she believes the team can focus on the fact that its thru to the knockout stage.

"I was surprised ...For Carli to criticize them like that, I understand that they didn't play the best game of their lives, but they still have their core group together, they're health has remained top notch, and that's something that should be celebrated. Now they have a big contest ahead and hopefully that momentum carries them through," Charly Arnolt continued.

The reality is that the USWNT's dream of winning what would be a third-straight Women's World Cup is still alive. Nothing about the squad's three games in the group stage was inspiring, but the fact still remains that the Americans are four wins away of hoisting yet another trophy.

The USWNT faces Sweden in its Round of 16 matchup on Sunday, August 6. Kick-off is set for 5:00 AM ET on FOX.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.