US Hit Samoa for 17 in Record World Cup Win
The United States beat Samoa 17-0 on Monday at the Under-17 Women's World Cup. It is the biggest win in World Cup history at any age level, senior or youth, men's or women's The Guardian.
The game was played in Salé, Morocco, on 19 October. The Americans led 9-0 at half-time. They finished with 58 shots and goals from 10 different players.
Maddie DiMaria led the rout. The 17-year-old from St. Louis scored six times. She is committed to play college soccer at North Carolina.
Those six goals set two records. No American has ever scored more in a single match. No player has ever scored more in a Women's World Cup match at any level The Guardian.
DiMaria is also the first player to score six in one game at FIFA finals since Erling Haaland scored nine for Norway at the 2019 Under-20 men's World Cup. The previous record margin at an 11-a-side World Cup was Morocco's 16-0 win over New Caledonia at the 2025 Under-17 men's World Cup.
There were family names and young talent on the scoresheet too. Carolina Reyna, younger sister of United States men's midfielder Gio Reyna, scored twice. Loradana Paletta, aged only 15, also scored twice.
Samoa goalkeeper Susahna Peacock kept the score down. She made 13 saves against wave after wave of pressure. The 17 goals are still the most ever scored by one team in an Under-17 Women's World Cup match U.S. Soccer.
What makes this stand out is the mix of joy and imbalance. One side celebrated a record. The other chased the ball and kept going.
For fans, this means context matters. FIFA expanded this tournament from 16 to 24 teams from 2025. That gives more young players a World Cup. It also brings more games like this, where an established programme meets a developing one.
The United States are in a group with Samoa, Kenya and China. They play Kenya next on Thursday. Kenya lost its opener 3-0 to China. North Korea are the reigning champions. The 2026 tournament runs from 17 October to 7 November in Morocco.
