U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Routs Chinese Taipei, 10-0

One year, almost to the day, before the final of the 2007 Women’s World Cup in China, the United States routed Chinese Taipei, 10-0, in a friendly soccer international Sunday at the Home Depot Center.

Striker Abby Wambach scored the fifth hat trick of her national team career and assisted on three goals. Wambach has scored 62 goals in 78 games for the U.S. and on Sunday moved ahead of Shannon MacMillan into sixth place on the all-time scoring list.

Lindsay Tarpley and Megan Rapinoe each scored twice, and there were individual goals by Leslie Osborne, Kristine Lilly and Carli Lloyd.

The goals by Lloyd, Osborne and Rapinoe were their first for the U.S. In addition, Danesha Adams of UCLA made her national team debut.

The U.S. took 23 shots and held Chinese Taipei to none. Goalkeeper Briana Scurry did not have a single save to make in the lopsided match.

The game was the latest in a warmup series leading to regional World Cup qualifying in November. The U.S. plays Iceland on Oct. 8 in Richmond, Va., then travels to South Korea to play Denmark, Australia and North Korea, each a qualifier for the 2007 World Cup, which runs from Sept. 10-30.

The 10-goal victory was the largest winning margin for the U.S. since an 11-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in 2000.

“We want to be peaking for qualifying,” Wambach said.

-- Grahame L. Jones