U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Horan has been called out by one of the country’s most famous retired players for her comments to American sports fans.
In an interview with The Athletic on Thursday, the midfielder, who also plays for Lyon in France, said he feels American fans are “less intelligent” compared to European fans.
“They don’t know the game. They don’t understand. [But] It’s getting better and better,” she said.
Alexi Lalas, a member of the U.S. men’s national team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and now an analyst for Fox Sports, applauded Horan for his post about X.
“So, not content with already denying many Americans who don’t watch soccer, the #USWNT has apparently set its sights on denying many Americans who do watch soccer. . It’s a bold strategy.” he wrote on Friday.
“From what I’ve heard, people understand my game a little bit more, my sense of football and the way I play,” Horan, 29, said of playing in Europe during an interview. added. “It’s French culture. Everyone watches soccer. People know football.”
Horan also claimed that American fans do not fully understand what it takes to play for the national team.
“You have to be on this team for a while to know what it takes. … It’s one of the most competitive varsity teams to be on,” she said.
Horan, who co-captains the USWNT with veteran forward Alex Morgan, will be aiming for gold at the Paris Summer Olympics without now-retired stars Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe.
Lalas spent two years in Serie A in Italy before playing seven seasons in MLS in the United States.
