The US women’s national team faced a strong attack from Thailand and had to fight back. The team's defeat of 13-0 was a sign that women's soccer is not supported as much as men's. While the US team has a well-funded program, Thailand doesn't. The federations would rather divert resources toward their male counterparts than support women's football.
United States wins the FIFA Women's World Cup's first game
After kicking off the tournament with a record-setting 13-0 win against Thailand, the United States has taken the title. The third-place finisher is the women's team, who beat the Netherlands by 2-0 on July 7. The Dutch were making a debut at the tournament, having reached the finals last summer. South Africa is joined by Chile, Scotland and Jamaica.
Alex Morgan scored five goals in their opening match for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. That gives her 26 goals this season, which is 13 more than any other player. She was the 32nd different US player to score at the World Cup. France and Germany have more. Carli Lloyd and Michelle Akers also scored hat-tricks on behalf of the USA. Alex Morgan's opening goal tied the record of five goals scored in a World Cup match. This was shared by Michelle Akers.
Morgan scores five goals
The USA women’s soccer team opened their title defense against Thailand with a bang. Morgan scored five goals in the first half, tying the record set by Michelle Akers against Canada four years ago. Thailand only managed to score two goals, and the US had 27% of the possession. The U.S. outshot Thailand by 15-1 in second half. Although this was a win for the U.S., Thailand did not lose the lead.
Five goals were scored in the United States' victory against Thailand, with two coming from the penalty spot. Morgan scored the first goal after Crystal Dunn's pass. Mewis assisted with the second goal. Mewis had previously played out wide, before Morgan tripped her and guided her shot into a box. Morgan also assisted Lavelle on her second goal. Both scored within the final minutes of the game.
Goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying
Sukanya Charoenying, the Thai goalkeeper, was at her best against the United States. This kept the score even. After a series of saves, a ball that had whizzed by her was finally tipped in the USA's favor. Pro-American fans were so excited by the score, they began to sing "Go USA!" The game went on for over an hour.
Carli Lloyd stood by the USWNT's win over Thailand. While some of the spectators chided the team for their celebratory chants after every goal, Carli Lloyd defended the United States' players. Lloyd offered words of encouragement and the United States goalkeeper thanked her. Lloyd was also commended by the goalkeeper for his words of encouragement.
In US soccer, pay gap between men & women
The U.S. Women's Soccer Team beat the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday. While the men have won four World Cups already, the women have not yet. Aside from winning four titles, the women have not earned as much money as the men. This is one of the many reasons why the women have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for not paying them the same amount as men.
The pay disparity between men and women in the US soccer team has long been a source of controversy, but the United States's recent performance has been the biggest example. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand highlighted the team’s 13-0 win over Thailand. The US women have scored a greater number of goals than the Thais in a World Cup match. This is a new record for any nation.