The U.S. U-17 women's national team scored an astounding 13 goals in a win over Panama to open the CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship.
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U.S. blast Panama 13-0Fuller nets five goalsFace Puerto Rico & Canada nextWHAT HAPPENED?
The U.S. blasted Panama in a 13-0 rout, with midfield starlet leading the way with five of the goals. Those five tied the U.S. record for most goals in a single game at any level.
Joining her on the scoresheet were Alex Pfeiffer, who netted a hat-trick, and Mya Townes, who scored twice, while Rylee McLanahan, Jordyn Hardeman and Katie Scott all scored one goal each in the lopsided win.
Scott's goal, the 13th and final, served as an exclamation point as it came from distance in the 80th minute.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
New USWNT boss Emma Hayes will certainly be watching on eagerly as several members of this U.S. U-17 side could very well have national team futures once the Chelsea manager arrives later this year.
Hayes is set to take over just ahead of this summer's Olympics, which means there likely won't be a wild shakeup in her initial tournament in charge of the USWNT. However, one major part of Hayes' to-do list is integrating young players, with the U.S. in desperate need for a generational shift at the senior level.
Several of those players have already broken through, with the likes of Jaedyn Shaw, Mia Fishel and Olivia Moultrie making their way into the team since last summer's World Cup disaster, but members of this U-17 team will be hoping to be in their positions by the time the next World Cup rolls around.
DID YOU KNOW?
The win is tied for the second-largest margin of victory for the U.S. at the U-17 WNT level. It also marks the third time that the U.S. has posted a 13-0 win.
WHAT NEXT FOR THE U.S.?
The U.S. will continue their run through the group stage on Sunday when they take on Puerto Rico. Their third and final group stage match will come on Tuesday when they take on Canada, who topped Puerto Rico 5-0 in their opening match.