USWNT Captain Lindsey Horan Bluntly Describes Shortcomings of American Soccer Fans

U.S. women’s national soccer team captain Lindsey Horan occasionally gets frustrated with how her performances are evaluated by pundits and fans alike.

In an interview with The Athletic's Meg Linehan, Horan went into detail of why it bothers her that many opinions of fans are shaped by television analysts. 

“American soccer fans, most of them aren’t smart,” Horan told Linehan. “They don’t know the game. They don’t understand. (But) it’s getting better and better.

“I’m gonna piss off some people, but the game is growing in the U.S. People are more and more knowledgeable, but so much of the time people take what the commentators say, right? 

“My mom does it! My mom says, ‘Julie Foudy said you had such a good game!’ And I’m here, just going, ‘I was f------ s--- today.’”

The U.S. women’s national team is coming off a disappointing performance at the 2023 World Cup in which they were bounced by Sweden in the Round of 16. 

Horan and her teammates are preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris where they will try to win the gold medal for the first time since 2012.