The young USWNT is flying high, kicking off its 2026 U-17 World Cup campaign with Monday’s 17-0 rout of Samoa — the two nations’ first WWC meeting.
Forward Maddie DiMaria scored a record six goals in the clash, as the team’s 17-goal tally marks the highest single-game total across all World Cup levels.
“I wasn’t aware [of the record], but I’m super proud of this group and it’s nice that they have something like that behind their name,” US head coach Ciara Crinion said.
The US will continue making its way through Group E, facing Kenya and China PR in pursuit of a first-ever U-17 World Cup title.
The team’s best finish came in 2024, when future pros like Melanie Barcenas, Kennedy Fuller, and Kimmy Ascanio took third.
“It’s about how we rest, recover,” continued Crinion. “We know it’ll be a different game, a different challenge, and we’ll start from square one again.”
The U-17 USWNT takes on Kenya on Thursday at 2 PM ET (FS2).
