13-0. It's Good for the Game.

The U.S. women's national team opened up their World Cup tournament in record-breaking fashion beating Thailand 13-0. 13 goals in 90 (+3) minutes coming in bursts of 3 and sometimes 4 within a few minutes of each other. The crazy thing isn't that the score was 13-0 but that it could have easily been 15 or 17-0 if it wasn't for a number of amazing goal-line saves from the Thai defense and goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying, and a few big misses from the US attackers.

Any scoreline that is this one-sided is going to bring up questions of sportsmanship, what's fair, and the much more emotionally charged questions around what's right. I'll come right out to say that I agree with Alexi Lalas that there is nothing wrong with winning by as large of a margin as you possibly can in this tournament. Not only does goal differential have an impact on the table but this is the world championship, after all. There is quite literally no other place that is more high-stakes than the World Cup. It is the culmination of the world's most played and most talked about sport.

This is the culmination of the world's most played and most talked about sport.

The U.S. is a tournament favorite and it was clear through the match that they were in another class. Not taking anything away from Thailand, they played their hearts out for the whole match and I commented to my wife numerous times how impressive it was to watch the Thai keeper tirelessly throw her body across the goal, never giving up on a shot attempt. But the size, speed, and ball control of the U.S. dominated the pitch from the opening to the final whistle. They played with precision and passion for 90 minutes. Lung-busting runs from penalty box to penalty box (one ending in a brilliant goal from Megan Rapinoe), crisp passes over the top and in behind the defense, smart set plays from dead balls, and a thrilling amount of individual skill. Goals aside, it was an amazing example of how beautiful a game of well-executed soccer is to watch.

This is why I'm so proud of our Women's National Team and our Federation. Prioritizing opportunities for girls to be exposed to and play the game at a young age, having competitive programs at the high school and amateur club level to allow them to grow into the next phase, and having exciting club systems competing at the professional level is producing incredibly exciting football to watch; not to mention bringing world titles home! While the pursuit of equality never ends, it's clear that the U.S. has invested a lot of resources into the women's game from the grassroots level up, an investment from which many countries around the world are still a long way off.

It's a clear example of what can happen when opportunities for participation and competition are prioritized and investment is made to back those priorities up.

While I'll never be upset about any U.S. team winning convincingly in any world cup match, this is also an example of what can happen when opportunities for participation and competition are prioritized and investment is made to back those priorities up. I'm not just talking about the wins (though I'll take them), I'm talking about some of the best expression of the game of soccer being played. I'm proud of all 13 of their goals, for the example of what hardworking, committed, competitive women who are given opportunity can accomplish in this game, and for doing it on the world stage for others to see. That's what is fair. That's what is right.