London • When it happened, Carli Lloyd thought someone stepped on her head inadvertently, the way vicious things can occur without malice in soccer.
But after watching the video of the play that left her rolling on the grass of Old Trafford on Monday, the U.S. women's team midfielder said Wednesday that Canadian defender Melissa Tancredi intentionally stomped on her skull.
It was the second high-profile, violent play of the Olympics for the U.S. after Abby Wambach appeared to be punched during a game against Colombia.
"I don't think that stomping on someone's head or sucker-punching someone is part of the game," the 30-year-old Lloyd said. "I couldn't believe it when I saw the replay."
Tancredi, who did not receive a yellow card for the play, will not be suspended for Canada's bronze-medal match Thursday afternoon, according to a Sports Illustrated report.
However, Lloyd said she hopes there will still be some punishment for Tancredi.
"I hope that actions are taken against that," she said, "because it's truly not part of the game."
The U.S. went on to beat Canada 4-3 on a 123rd minute goal by forward Alex Morgan.
Lloyd appeared healthy during a Wednesday news conference and said her injuries were limited to "some marks."
The U.S. plays Japan in the gold-medal match Thursday at 12:45 p.m. MT. American players said they did not expect any unnecessarily rough play from the Japanese, whom they know well.
"We're still going to be bring the edge that we bring," Lloyd said, "and we're going to have to be physical against them."
Twitter: @oramb
