RABAT, Morocco — The United States under-17 women’s national team announced its arrival at the 2026 World Cup with a display of pure, historic dominance, dismantling Samoa 17-0 on Monday night. In a performance that will be remembered for generations, the U.S. squad set a new standard for excellence, securing the largest margin of victory in the history of any FIFA World Cup tournament.
The Americans’ relentless offensive pressure left the Samoan defense scrambling from the opening whistle. Forward Maddie DiMaria spearheaded the charge, finding the back of the net just 63 seconds into the match. She would go on to deliver a legendary individual performance, finishing with six goals—the most ever by a single player in any FIFA World Cup finals match.
DiMaria’s historic haul places her in elite company. By scoring six times, she surpassed the previous benchmarks set by U.S. legends Michelle Akers and Alex Morgan, both of whom previously held the U.S. record with five goals in a single World Cup game. DiMaria, who grew up idolizing stars like Erling Haaland, expressed her humility after the match while clutching the game ball.
“That means everything; he’s an inspiration,” DiMaria said of Haaland, who famously netted nine goals in a U-20 match in 2019. “Watching his desire and ruthlessness around the box … to be the next player behind that is just such an honor. I’m super blessed to have all those girls finding me in the right places.”
The U.S. attack was far from a one-player show. With 10 different players finding the scoresheet, the team’s depth was on full display. Carolina Reyna, sister of USMNT standout Gio Reyna, and Loradana Paletta each netted two goals, while Mia Corona, Grace Murray, Amari Manning, Deus Stanislaus, Isa Ortiz, Melia Brewer, and Gianna Hanf rounded out a historic night of scoring.
By halftime, the U.S. had already built a 9-0 lead, tying Germany’s 2010 tournament record for goals in a single opening half. The team finished the match with an staggering 58 shots, eclipsing the previous overall World Cup margin-of-victory record of 16-0, set by Morocco in the men’s U-17 tournament last year.
U.S. coach Ciara Crinion lauded the group’s effort, though she remained focused on the road ahead. “I wasn’t aware [we were breaking a record], but I’m super proud of this group and it’s nice that they have something like that behind their name,” Crinion said.
The Americans now turn their attention to Thursday’s match against Kenya, who fell 3-0 to China PR in their tournament opener. Despite the euphoria of Monday’s record-shattering result, Crinion insisted her side would remain grounded. “We know every game is different,” she added. “It’s about how we rest, recover, and prepare. We’ll start from square one again.”
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