United States 9-0 Guatemala, Full Time: If The Mercy Rule Exists, USWNT Missed The Cutoff

At 8-0, the girls decided to stop being big meanies. They added another goal anyway.

The United States did all that was expected of them and more on Saturday night, running riot in Cancun on their way to a 9-0 thrashing of Guatemala. The USWNT now has a +15 goal differential and the maximum six points from their two World Cup qualifying matches.

The seventh goal came only four minutes after halftime from substitute Alex Morgan. Right winger Heather O’Reilly added yet another assist as she sent in a cross from the right flank that was finished brilliantly by Morgan with a spinning backheel. It was a welcome change from most of the previous goals, at least four of which could have been easily prevented.

Goal number eight came from a penalty kick. In the 54th minute, Guatemala’s Kathrine Ramos hauled down Alex Morgan in the box, resulting in a yellow card and a penalty kick for the USWNT. Carli Lloyd stepped up to take it and finished confidently to the keeper’s right.

The girls then let up on the gas, coasting to a comfortable victory. A ninth would come in the 88th minute, though, thanks to some nice combination play between Morgan and Amy Rodriguez. Morgan cut in down the end line from the left flank and played a pass towards the penalty spot, where Rodriguez was waiting. She made no mistake about slotting the ball into the back of the net, completing her hat trick and making the score 9-0, which is how the match would end.

The United States’ last game is against Costa Rica, who has also taken the maximum six points from their first two matches.