Pregnant US soccer icon Carli Lloyd has hit back at an online troll who body-shamed her in the wake of America’s humiliating World Cup exit.
The Fox Sports analyst has been strong in her criticism of the US men’s national team since they were dumped out of the tournament by Belgium, and it has led to abuse from some on social media.
Rather than ignore the trolls, Lloyd – who is due to give birth to her second child in September – took one on on Wednesday, quickly firing back at the anonymous X user.
The exchange began after Lloyd had slammed US star man Christian Pulisic, and some comments he made in the wake of his team’s exit about now getting a ‘rest’.
In response, Lloyd had written on X: ‘ You rest when your playing career is over. Period.’
A social media troll – known only as ‘Moonshot Magician’ – then hit back at Lloyd with a photo of her on air with Fox, alongside a message that read: ‘Looks like youve [sic] been resting really good lately big mama’, followed by a series of laughing emojis.
Carli Lloyd and her husband Brian announced her second pregnancy back in April
She hit back at a troll who had body-shamed her in a now-viral post on X on Wednesday
Lloyd then clapped back and quote-tweeted the troll, writing: ‘I can tell you are a gentleman. Do you always disrespect women? Does it make you feel good hiding behind your keyboard?’
The reply quickly went viral and racked up 3.8 million views as of Wednesday evening, with hundreds of other users posting messages of support for the two-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
‘You look absolutely gorgeous,’ one wrote, while another added: ‘Don’t even respond to those clowns.’
A third said: ‘Short memory – when you were scoring goals he was on top of the world. Great job for your World Cup work and best wishes with the new addition!’
The abusive message from the troll was also community noted on X, with the response reading: ‘Carli Lloyd is pregnant with her second child.’
The 43-year-old announced the news of her pregnancy back in April, with a series of adorable photos alongside her husband Brian Hollins and their young daughter Harper Anne, who turns two in October.
Lloyd has made the second-most appearances of all-time for the US women’s national team
The former soccer star has been extremely open about her previous fertility issues and IVF
Lloyd (second left) is one of FOX Sports’ star analysts during the 2026 World Cup this summer
Lloyd has previously been extremely open about her IVF journey, with the birth of Harper Anne coming after a complicated fertility journey.
In an interview with Women’s Health, she previously revealed two unsuccessful rounds of IVF, before they were finally successful at their third attempt.
When she announced her first pregnancy, she wrote on Instagram: ‘It has been a rollercoaster of a journey to get to this point. We are beyond excited to be parents!
‘I couldn’t have gotten through this without my amazing husband, Brian. He truly has kept me going.’
Lloyd only hung up her cleats in 2021 after a remarkable soccer career that saw her play 316 times for the US women’s national team.
That is second only to Kristine Lilly in the all-time appearance record, and Lloyd also has the third-most goals behind Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm.
In the wake of her playing career, she has now transitioned to become a TV analyst, and is one of FOX’s biggest names alongside Alexi Lalas and Clint Dempsey.
