The U.S. began the expanded CONCACAF qualifying process for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in remarkable fashion, achieving an unprecedented victory by defeating the U.S. Virgin Islands 22-0. This marks the largest margin of victory for any U.S. team in World Cup qualifying across all levels. Chase Adams was a standout player, netting an astounding ten goals during the match, held on Monday evening in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The team’s captain, Maximo Carrizo, contributed to the score sheet with four goals, while Chance Cowell and Jude Terry each added two goals. Additionally, players Pedro Guimaraes, Ramiz Hamouda, Jamir Johnson, and Kellan LeBlanc each scored one goal, bringing the final tally to 22.

Adams showcased his scoring prowess by finding the net at multiple points throughout the match, with goals occurring in the eighth, ninth, 13th, 19th, 31st, 33rd, 38th, 55th, 75th, and 77th minutes.

Chance Cowell, originally from Naperville, Illinois, joined the Columbus Crew Academy in January 2023 as an under-15 player. He started his previous season with Crew 2 in the MLS Next league as an amateur before signing a professional contract in August. During the third-tier MLS Next Pro, Cowell made 19 appearances and scored nine goals, including 13 starts.

In the match’s early moments, Adams set the stage by assisting Cowell’s first goal just two minutes in. Cowell is the younger brother of Cade Cowell, a forward for Chivas who has logged 11 appearances for the senior U.S. national team.

Prior to this game, the largest win recorded by a U.S. team in any matchup was a 20-0 victory over Grenada during the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship. For the men’s teams, the previous record was a 13-0 win over the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 2018 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship.

In another group match, Cuba emerged victorious against St. Kitts and Nevis with a score of 3-1. A total of eight group winners will qualify for the expanded Under-17 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams and is set to take place in Qatar from November 5 to 27. Notably, there is no knockout round in the CONCACAF qualification process. From 1985 to 2005, the FIFA tournament included 16 teams, later increasing to 24 from 2007 to 2023.

The U.S. Virgin Islands faced significant challenges in their qualifying efforts, having been outscored 33-0 during their previous campaign in the 2022 CONCACAF Under-17 qualifying matches, finishing with an unfortunate record of 0-4.