Carli Lloyd is once again rising to the occasion on the World Cup stage.
The retired United States soccer star has worked the tournament as an analyst for Fox Sports. Lloyd, who revealed her pregnancy in April, drew strong reviews for her candid commentary after the U.S. men's 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday.
A colleague added to that praise. Fellow Fox analyst Stu Holden commended Lloyd's World Cup effort on social media.
"Moment of appreciation for the work of @CarliLloyd this summer," Holden wrote. "Multiple back to back TV appearances in different cities with travel, late nights, insight and an incredible work ethic ... oh btw while pregnant. Proud to be your teammate."
Lloyd, who's due to give birth to her second child in September, responded with her own kind words to Holden.
"You’re the best!" Lloyd told Holden. "Everyone has had some tough travel and hours of working. Not to mention all of the people behind the cameras. I am soaking it up and love being part of this incredible group of people."
Lloyd breaks down U.S. loss
Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images
Alongside many fans, Lloyd watched the USMNT's World Cup dreams end with a lopsided loss on Monday. The two-time champion didn't hold back during Fox's post-game show.
"I felt like they lost the game before they even stepped out on the pitch," Lloyd said. "And I’m not sure why, and I don’t know the reasons. But just from the beginning: chasing. Tentative. Scared. Just not confident on the ball."
Lloyd singled out Christian Pulisic, who lost possession 11 times during a sloppy performance at Seattle.
"You wanted some of those big-time players to step up in big-time moments," Lloyd said. "And I gotta be honest: I was a bit disappointed in Christian Pulisic. Whether he wants to be the star of this team or not, we didn’t see enough from him in this particular game — and, really, the whole World Cup. Little glimpses here and there."
Lloyd still celebrated the team's World Cup run before its unfortunate conclusion.
"This team has united the country. They have gotten American fans to fall in love with them, and there is a bright future," Lloyd said. "But this is just a real disappointing loss to go out on."
