The United States U20 men’s national team began its 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup campaign in Chile with a record-setting 9-1 victory over New Caledonia.
The dominant performance was led by Parma midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, on loan from Inter Miami CF, who delivered a first-half hat-trick and two assists at the Estadio Teniente de Rancagua. The relentless U.S. offense also saw goals from Niko Taskiris, Frankie Westfield, Nolan Norris, Taha Habroune, and Cole Campbell.
Despite the one-sided result, the match featured a historic moment for the debutant nation. In the second half, Wapae Simane capitalized on an error by goalkeeper Adam Beaudry to score New Caledonia’s first-ever goal in a U20 World Cup tournament.
The 9-1 win established new U.S. records for both goals scored and the largest margin of victory in a single FIFA U20 World Cup match. It shattered the previous record margin of six goals, which the team had accomplished against Turkey in 1993, Poland in 2007, and New Zealand in 2017.
The all-time tournament record for the largest victory remains Norway’s 12-0 win against Honduras in 2019, a match where Erling Haaland scored nine goals.
In the other Group E match, France secured a 2-1 win over South Africa.
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