United States captain Lindsey Horan has responded to the criticism from retired former team-mate Carli Lloyd, saying her comments were “frustrating” to hear but it’s simply “noise” for the team as they look for a fresh start in the knockouts at the Women’s World Cup.

Ex-international Lloyd, during a Fox broadcast, questioned the team’s mentality after they narrowly made it to the last 16 following a goalless draw with Portugal, who are 20 spots below the top-ranked Americans.

“You put on that jersey and you want to give it everything you have, for the people that came before you and the people that are gonna come after you, and I'm just not seeing that passion,” Lloyd said after Tuesday’s game.

A day later, Lloyd clarified her comments, saying she was very critical of the team.

“I poured my heart and soul into this team for 17 years and it was based off of a legacy that was just passed down from generation to generation... And so my comments were reflective on me wanting to see that legacy continue to be passed down from generation to generation,” Lloyd said later.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, U.S. captain Horan said it was “kind of frustrating” to hear Lloyd’s comments.

“We're going to try and keep the noise out as much as possible, but use it to our advantage too because we are going to go out and fight and do everything that we have done in past World Cups to win this game,” Horan said, referring to Sunday’s clash with Sweden.

“I always want to defend my team and say you have no idea what is going on behind the scenes. You have no idea every single training what we are doing individually, collectively etcetera, so for anyone to question our mentality hurts a little bit.

“But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. I don't really care. It's about what is going on inside the team and getting ready for the next game.”

Horan said the U.S. is looking at the knockout stage as a “new tournament”, as the players aim to shake off a frustrating group stage.

In their opening group game against Vietnam, the U.S. won 3-0, but the score line could have been much better had their attack been more clinical.

In the second game against the 2019 finalists the Netherlands, the U.S. had to settle for a 1-1 draw before facing further criticism in their 0-0 draw with Portugal.

The U.S. is aiming for a record third straight title at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, but their below-par performance has raised questions about their caliber.

“Once we get a little bit of that joy back things are going to move a little bit better on the field,” Horan said. “The one thing I have said to this team a lot is that pressure is a privilege.

"We still made it through and obviously we want to perform better and entertain our fans more.

"The expectations are always going to be high and we're always going to be in the pressure cooker and we love that."