Benjamin Cremaschi wasted no time stamping his authority on the U20 World Cup opener in Chile, as the U.S. routed New Caledonia 9-1 on Monday. The Parma midfielder struck twice inside the opening minutes to put Marko Mitrović’s team firmly in control, later completing a hat-trick. Niko Tsakiris opened up the scoring in the seventh minute for the U.S.

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    A dream debut

    Cremaschi became just the third American to score a hat-trick at the U20 World Cup. Nolan Norris added a brace, while Tsakiris, Frankie Westfield, Taha Habroune, and Cole Campbell rounded out the scoring.

    The victory reinforced the U.S. team's reputation as a youth powerhouse, with the squad aiming to extend their streak of six straight tournament appearances and four consecutive quarterfinal runs.

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    Mitrović’s team shakes off pressure

    By the 10th minute, the game was already decided, allowing Mitrović’s squad to shake off the pressure of a World Cup debut. Next up, they will face France, which defeated South Africa.

    The winner of that clash will all but secure a place in the next round – a true test for the Americans in this tournament.

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    A historic debut

    The United States surpassed the biggest win at a U20 World Cup, eclipsing Germany’s 8-1 victory over Fiji in the 2015 tournament.

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    Tying another milestone

    This is the second time the USA had goals from six different players in a U20 World Cup match. The other was a 6-0 win over New Zealand in 2017.