Reigning FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Carli Lloyd has always attributed her success to one thing: work ethic. Known for being the last one off the field at training and sneaking out of hotel rooms at tournaments to go for runs, Lloyd places fitness at the top of her priorities.

The coaching staff for the Houston Dash haven’t done the same, she says.

“I’m not sure what’s been going on for the last three months as far as training, but in my opinion we’re not fit enough,” she said after Houston’s 4-2 loss to the Orlando Pride on Saturday. “If you’re not fit in this league, and you can’t run all game long, especially in this heat, we’re not going to win.”

Lloyd played 73 minutes in her 2017 NWSL debut after spending the last three months in England’s FAWSL, where she won the FA Cup and made it to the Champions League semifinals with Manchester City. She has not ruled out a return overseas but will see out the season with the Dash.

Houston currently sits in last place. On a six-game losing streak, they are 2-7-0 for the season and 1-3-0 at home, where, if Lloyd is correct, improved fitness should give them an advantage in the Texas heat.

“We’ve got to dig deep as a team, I think, individually, collectively, everybody’s gotta assess where they’re at and ask themselves are they doing as much as they can to be in a good position to feel good on the field,” she explained. “There’s really no excuses. We’ve just gotta go out there and get the job done.”

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