REIMS, France – Alex Morgan tied a tournament record with five goals as the defending champion USA national team opened the Women’s World Cup with a record-breaking 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday night.
Samantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added a pair of goals for the United States, which broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a World Cup game.
Lindsey Horan, Megan Rapinoe, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored.
The previous record margin was Germany’s 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.
Morgan tied Michelle Akers’ record for World Cup goals, set in the quarterfinals against Chinese Taipei in 1991.
“We really just came into the game really wanting to showcase ourselves,” Morgan said. “Every goal matters in this tournament, and that’s what we were working on.”
The two teams were the last to kick off in the group stage for the month-long tournament.
Hosts France opened the World Cup before a sell-out crowd in Paris on Friday night with a 4-0 victory over South Korea.
Ranked No 1 in the world, the Americans had dropped only one match in their previous 38, a loss to France in Le Havre in January.
The team are 7-1-2 overall this year, with six straight wins going into the World Cup.
The last time the Americans played on the world’s biggest stage, Lloyd had a hat trick in the first 16 minutes, and the United States beat Japan 5-2 in Canada for the trophy.
The US pounced early against Thailand, too, on Morgan’s header in the 13th minute off Kelley O’Hara’s precisely placed cross.
Mewis, Lavelle and Horan were all making their World Cup debuts.
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Congrats, @USWNT! #USATHA| #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/eW509VjyX7
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Thailand, ranked No 34 in the world, were clearly outmatched, even though the team have shown progress on the world stage.
Making their World Cup debut in 2015 four years ago, Thailand finished third in their group, but earned their first win, a 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast.
At the final whistle, Lloyd and Christian Press were seen consoling the Thailand goalkeeper. Morgan put her arm around an opponent, who was wiping away tears on the pitch moments after the final whistle.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlayeroftheMatch?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PlayeroftheMatchpresented by @Visa is... @alexmorgan13! #USATHA| #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/rnpqzye6Mw
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