The USA's Carli Lloyd says her country's World Cup win was "absolutely the worst time in my life".

The 37-year-old felt she deserved more pitch time despite being involved in all seven matches.

The midfielder only started one match and says her limited role in the tournament affected her relationships

Lloyd said: "I'm not going to lie and sugarcoat it. It was absolutely the worst time of my life. It affected my relationship with my husband, with friends.

"It really was rock bottom of my entire career. But somehow, you see light at the end of the tunnel and I can honestly say I'm having more fun now playing than I ever have in my career. I think I just learned a lot throughout it.

"There's no denying it, I deserved to be on that field that whole World Cup, but I wasn't. And I think I've grown as a person, as a player. It sucked. It absolutely sucked," the two-time Women's Player of the Year told ESPN's Laughter Permitted podcast.

Although the star is unhappy that she wasn't more involved in the campaign, she says she is pleased for her teammates - especially golden boot winner Megan Rapinoe.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist added: "I was super happy for my teammates and happy for Megan, who put the team on her back, and for several other players.

"It was great to see and I'm happy that I could still have been a part of it."