Carli Lloyd explains to comedian and actor Kevin Hart how 'competing with other sports' made it difficult for the USWNT to grow their fanbase

On the latest episode of Cold as Balls on the LOL Network, Lloyd joined Hart to discuss her USWNT career and how she helped shape the landscape of women's soccer. The 41-year-old shared that during the first few years of her storied career, they struggled to attract crowds, but the 2012 World Cup changed everything for them.

She said: "The first time I started with the national team, we could barely get 5000 People in the stands to, you know, 83,000 at the 2012 Olympic final, it's been incredible thing…. winning helps, I mean that brings in fans that want to follow, you know, it's been tough here in the US to compete with so many other sports, but I just think that the sport is just grown tremendously. And I think that it's just going to getting better and better and then World Cup 2026 is going to be here on the men’s side."

The USWNT won the 2012 Olympics, with Lloyd scoring a brace that handed them a gold medal in a 2-1 victory over Japan. Attendance for the final celared 80,000 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Throughout her 14-year career on the international stage, Lloyd scored 124 goals in 268 goals and won two World Cup crowns - in 2015 and 2019.

She's now taken up an analyst role with FOX Sports, among others, and has embraced her role of being both controversial and honest with her on-air takes. During the 2023 World Cup, she questioned the 'heart' of the players on the pitch, but backlash from media, fans and even players followed - with Lloyd accepting her role of being the antagonist to viewers at the tournament.