PARIS _ The U.S. was roundly chastised for celebrating goals long after Thailand had been vanquished in a Women's World Cup opener.
Some of that criticism undoubtedly was fueled by the fact the Americans are three-time tournament champions who, except for a six-month spell in 2015, have been ranked No. 1 in the world for 11 years.
Forward Carli Lloyd, who is playing in her fourth Women's World Cup, said she wouldn't have it any other way.
"We always have a target on our backs. But why wouldn't you want that?" she said Friday. "No. 1 team in the world. We won the last World Cup and we're trying to win this World Cup again.
"When there's a target on your back, when people are talking about you, you're doing something right."
Lloyd also weighed in on the use of video replay to review on-field calls.
The system is being used for the first time in a Women's World Cup and has already proved controversial, with Swiss referee Esther Staubil pausing Thursday's Brazil-Australia game three times for lengthy video reviews _ two of which directly affected goals in Australia's 3-2 win.
"I am actually a big fan of it," Lloyd said. "Maybe I wouldn't be if we had a controversial call against us. But it's part of it.
"It's going to help the game because it's just going to keep all players honest. Everybody's watching. We've got 16-some cameras watching. There's nothing that's going to go unnoticed."
