Carli Lloyd Defends Time Her U.S. Womens Team Lost To 15-Year-Old Boys

U.S. soccer great Carli Lloyd , who once scored three goals in a World Cup final , found herself playing defense on social media Thursday.

A person with a vulgar username on X, formerly Twitter, asked her, “Carli is it tru you lost to a bunch of 15 year old boys?”

The question appeared to be intended as a “gotcha.” But in 2017, CBS reported on the women’s national team’s 5-2 defeat to FC Dallas’ U-15 boys academy team in a scrimmage.

Lloyd did not shrink from the query.

“Yes it’s true. I know…thousands of people have already brought that up,” she wrote. “They were good. We actually lost to a youth Bayern Munich team in my career as well but then we went on to win Olympics and World Cups. So.....” 

When someone posted a photo of her next to a much larger player from the FC Dallas teen squad, Lloyd wrote: “Haha. They should beat us. Bigger, stronger, faster! Boys always gave us a run for our money! It was great prep.”

The national team was the reigning World Cup champion at the time (due partly to Lloyd’s Golden Ball-winning heroics at the 2015 event) and would win a second World Cup with Lloyd in 2019.

She finished her storied international career with 134 goals , the third most in U.S. women’s history.

Some observers on X applauded Lloyd for her frankness.

“Wow, honesty, and straight forward candor. Another reason we dig you, Carli,” one wrote .

“Much respect for not trying to spin it,” another commented . “Women’s sports are just as good as men’s sports, just different.”