United States Women’s National Team captain Lindsey Horan has been called out by one of the country’s most-known retired players for her comments toward U.S. fans of the sport.

On Thursday in an interview with The Athletic, the midfielder, who also plays for Lyon in France, feels that compared to European fans, American fans “aren’t smart.”

“They don’t know the game. They don’t understand. [But] it’s getting better and better,” she said.

Alexi Lalas, who was on the United States Men’s National Team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and is now an analyst for Fox Sports, clapped back at Horan with a post on X.

“So, not satisfied with already turning off many Americans who don’t watch soccer, evidently the #USWNT has now set their sights on turning off many Americans who do watch soccer. Bold strategy,” he wrote on Friday.

“From what I’ve heard, people understand my game a little bit more, a sense of my football and the way I play,” Horan, 29, added about playing in Europe during her interview. “It is the French culture. Everyone watches football. People know football.”

Horan also argued American fans don’t fully grasp what it takes to play for the national team.

“You have to be amongst this team for a while to know what the f— that takes. … It’s one of the most competitive national teams to be a part of,” she said.

The USWNT and Horan, a co-captain with veteran forward Alex Morgan, will be chasing the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris without now-retired stars Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe.

Lalas spent two years in Italy’s Serie A before playing seven seasons stateside in MLS.