Carli Lloyd calls World Cup 'worst time' of her life

Oct. 16 (UPI) -- United States Women's National Team soccer star Carli Lloyd said she had the "worst time" of her life during the team's 2019 World Cup title run.

Lloyd -- who won the Golden Ball at the 2015 World Cup -- did not start in six of the team's seven matches at this year's tournament. She was a significant reason for the team's 2015 World Cup title, scoring three goals in 16 minutes in the final, the fastest hat trick in women's World Cup history.

The two-time FIFA Player of the Year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion made the comments Tuesday on the Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy ESPN podcast.

"I'm not going to lie and sugarcoat it," Lloyd said of the 2019 World Cup. "It was absolutely the worst time of my life. It affected my relationship with my husband, with friends. It really was rock bottom of my entire career."

Lloyd, 37, scored three goals off the bench for the U.S., while backing up forwards Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. Lloyd sustained a significant ankle sprain in 2017, forcing her to miss time before the 2019 World Cup, but believes she still deserved to start.

The injury had Lloyd out amid the team's schematic formation change. Fellow U.S. star Julie Ertz was one of the players moved to a new position, switching from fullback to midfield. Lloyd moved from midfield to forward.

"There's no denying it," Lloyd said. "I deserved to be on that field that whole World Cup, but I wasn't. And I think I've grown as a person, as a player. It sucked. It absolutely sucked."

Lloyd said she was "super happy" for her teammates, including Rapinoe, who won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball for being the top scorer and the top player at the 2019 World Cup.

Lloyd said she is open to playing as a reserve at the 2020 Summer Games. The U.S. women will be led by a new coach at the Olympics, after manager Jill Ellis resigned.

"I hope a coach comes in that values me, respects me, wants me [as] a part of the Olympic plans," Lloyd said.

Lloyd played in all seven 2019 World Cup games. She scored in her first two appearances, setting a record for scoring in six consecutive World Cup games.