Carli Lloyd, the U.S. women's national team's 2015 superstar, doesn't particularly like her likely role coming off the bench at the 2019 World Cup. Coach Jill Ellis loves that. Lloyd, now 36, has logically seen her role reduced since that hat trick performance in the 2015 final, which the U.S. won over Japan. Four years older, Lloyd has been vocal about not wanting to come off the bench and she has spun it to more of a matter of motivation and dedication, saying it would be wrong to be OK with it.
"I'm going to be flat-out honest: I'm not OK with coming out. I don't think anybody should be OK with coming off the bench. I'm going to fight and push my teammates and try to help in any way possible," Lloyd said last year, according to The New York Times.
Ellis was asked about Lloyd's role as a super sub on Monday, a role that has drawn comparisons to Abby Wambach's at the 2015 World Cup.
"Whether Carli comes in off the bench or starts a game, she is a game-changer. What I know Carli will do is put the team first," Ellis said, according to Sports Illustrated. "And I love the belief that you want to be on the pitch and can make the difference. Every player has that. Part of when you talk about a team, you say, 'Listen, if you're an injured player, your goal is to be healthy. If you're a player that's on the bench, your goal is to be the starter. That's the kind of drive to help a team get across the line. I have no issue with that."
Lloyd is likely going to see the field at some point, and she seems ambitious enough to play so well that Ellis can't take her off the field. But both coach and player are putting the team first, and that's a great sign when it comes to the chemistry and the relationship between players and the staff.
The U.S. takes on Thailand in its World Cup opener at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and you can see the game on fuboTV (Try for free).
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