The United States national under-17 women’s football team started their World Cup campaign on Monday with a historic 17-0 victory against Samoa in Salé, Morocco. This lopsided scoreline established the largest margin of victory at any age level in the history of a World Cup.
Record-Breaking Performance
The result eclipsed the previous margin record for an 11-a-side World Cup, which was set by Morocco when they defeated New Caledonia 16-0 in the 2025 U-17 men’s World Cup. Ten different players scored for the United States during the match, with forward Maddie DiMaria leading the offensive onslaught by netting six goals.
US coach Ciara Crinion admitted she did not realize they were breaking records during the fixture, though she expressed immense pride in the squad’s achievement and stated it was wonderful for the players to have such an accolade attached to their names, as reported by FIFA’s website.
DiMaria, a 17-year-old student from St Louis who has committed to playing college football at North Carolina, opened her scoring account and went on to record the most goals ever scored by a US player in any match. Her total also stands as the most goals netted by any individual player in a Women’s World Cup fixture across all levels.
Furthermore, DiMaria became the first competitor to score six goals in a single match at a FIFA finals since Erling Haaland notched nine during the U-20 men’s World Cup in 2019. DiMaria described Haaland as an inspiration and called it a tremendous honor to follow in his footsteps while crediting her teammates for locating her in optimal scoring positions.
Match Statistics and Tournament Expansion
The Americans built a 9-0 advantage by halftime and accumulated 58 total shots over the course of the game. Additional multi-goal performances came from Carolina Reyna, the younger sister of USMNT midfielder Gio Reyna, and 15-year-old Loradana Paletta, who each scored twice. Meanwhile, Samoa goalkeeper Susahna Peacock was kept busy stopping shots, finishing the contest with 13 saves.
Samoa made their tournament debut at the U-17 Women’s World Cup last year following FIFA’s decision to expand the competition field from 16 to 24 teams starting in 2025. FIFA has scheduled the men’s and women’s U-17 World Cups to take place annually through 2029 to emphasize youth development. Samoa ranks among seven nations making their tournament debuts over the past two seasons, and these expanded fields frequently yield heavily skewed scorelines due to the differing development stages of participating countries.
The score recalled the senior US team’s 13-0 triumph against Thailand at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, where Alex Morgan scored five times and critics subsequently accused the Americans of excessive goalscoring. That 2019 tournament similarly marked the inaugural senior competition utilizing a 24-team expanded format. Defending that approach at the time, US midfielder Julie Ertz explained that the team shows respect by treating every opponent seriously, maintaining high training intensity, and preparing thoroughly through scouting reports rather than taking anyone lightly.
The United States will return to the pitch on Thursday for their next group-stage fixture against Kenya, who dropped their opening match 3-0 to China. The Americans are seeking their first tournament title, having previously reached the final during the inaugural 2008 edition and advancing to only one semi-final since, which occurred in 2024, while North Korea currently holds the reigning champion status.
Source: Football | The Guardian
