Never-before-seen World Cup bloodbath sparks equal pay debate

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) has reignited a heated debate about equal pay after an incredible World Cup record that puts their male counterparts to shame.

Alex Morgan tied a World Cup record with five goals as the US opened their women's World Cup soccer campaign with a record-breaking 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday.

Samantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added a pair of goals for the defending champions, who broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a World Cup game.

Lindsey Horan, Megan Rapinoe, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored. The previous record margin was Germany's 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.

The 13-0 mauling means the American women managed to score more goals in one World Cup match than their male counterparts have in all their World Cup matches combined since the 2006 tournament in Germany (12 goals).

The astonishing statistic has been jumped on by supporters, who insist it strengthens the case for the USWNT in an ongoing issue dominating the landscape of the game in America.

Before the tournament kicked off, female stars playig for the four-time World Cup champions signed onto a lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation demanding pay parity with their male counterparts.

The World Cup holders' 13-0 rout of Thailand has only seen those calls for equal pay grow louder.

'Every goal matters'

Morgan tied Michelle Akers' record for World Cup goals, set in the quarter-finals against Chinese Taipei in 1991.

"We really just came into the game really wanting to showcase ourselves," Morgan said. "Every goal matters in this tournament and that's what we were working on."

The teams were the last to kick-off in the group stage for the month-long tournament.

Ranked No. 1 in the world, the Americans have lost only once in their last 38 matches, a loss to France in Le Havre in January.

They are 7-1-2 overall this year, with six straight wins going into the World Cup and their seven different scorers against Thailand set a record for most in a women's World Cup game.

The last time the Americans played on the world's biggest stage, Lloyd scored a hat-trick in the first 16 minutes and the United States beat Japan 5-2 in Canada for the trophy.

Thailand, ranked No. 34 in the world, were clearly outmatched even though they have shown progress on the world stage.

At the final whistle, Lloyd and Christian Press were seen consoling the Thailand goalkeeper. Morgan put her arm around her opponent, who was wiping away tears on the pitch moments after the final whistle.

The United States are just one of four teams to win a World Cup since the tournament started in 1991, joining Germany, Japan and Norway.

In other matches, Sweden defeated Chile 2-0 earlier in Rennes while substitute Jill Roord scored a stoppage-time header to give European champions Holland a 1-0 win over New Zealand.

The Dutch, who claimed the Euro 2017 title on home soil, had more possession, but looked set to be frustrated by the determined Football Ferns until Roord's late effort finally broke the deadlock.