‘You can just @ me’ - Ex-USWNT star Carli Lloyd hits back at journalist over criticism regarding analyst role for NWSL final between OL Reign and Gotham FC

The former midfielder has been named as a pundit by American broadcaster CBS for the upcoming NWSL final match between Gotham and OL Reign.

The two-time World Cup winner has become an analyst since her retirement and she was a prominent voice in the media when USWNT competed in Australia and New Zealand in the summer.

However, the 41-year-old being involved despite owning a minority stake in Gotham has caused some controversy, with Meg Linehan, a writer for The Athletic, suggesting that such conflicts should be disclosed to viewers.

"Fully admit I’m not the target audience of shoulder programming around the NWSL, but I do think we have to figure out a way to at least call out conflicts of interest better when booking talent on these shows. We have to cite any potential ones in every article," Linehan wrote on social media.

However, Lloyd did not appreciate the comment, despite not being named in the original post, and replied: "What’s the problem? It’s soccer. Talking about two teams in the NWSL final? And you can just @ me. It’s all good."

The NWSL - which recently announced a groundbreaking TV deal - will stage its Championship match in San Diego on Saturday.