USWNT co-captain Lindsey Horan made a shocking admission following the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup when she shared that the team may not have been prepared for the World Cup.

The USWNT was devastated after Sweden eliminated them during a penalty kicks shootout during the Round of 16, their earliest finish ever at a World Cup. While the performance of the USWNT at this year's World Cup suggests that, it is shocking to hear one of the captains admit it relatively soon after the tournament.

This sentiment has also been evident since the World Cup as both the team's coach Vlatko Andonovski and general manager Kate Markgraf have stepped down. During an appearance on the YouTube channel RE-INC, Horan reflected on the team's preparation for the World Cup.

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“When a coach comes in, it's like, hey, how do we get the best out of every single individual player putting the most simplicity into a 10-day camp every few months and getting the best out of your team and without overcomplicating everything?” Horan said via ESPN. “Because yes, I could talk about the last four-year cycle, and we don't need to get into every single thing, but that's not what we did. We did not get the best out of every single individual.”

“I don't think everyone was fully prepared, and that's on us as well … Looking at those three group stage games, and you felt it in the team. You felt this tense feeling, and people were just not enjoying their football, or they weren't enjoying individually playing.”

Lindsey Horan was part of the 2019 USWNT World Cup-winning team. Horan scored two of the four total USWNT goals outside of the penalty shootouts for the team before they were sent packing early.