An army of aroused soccer fans came by the thousands to cheer the U.S. women’s national team in a rare San Diego appearance against Ireland’s finest in a Jan. 23 friendly match at Qualcomm Stadium, and a dominating 5-0 U.S. victory sent them home even happier. The myriad of clothing and headwear in the stands included those with U.S. flags draped over their shoulders or wearing garments containing red, white and blue and was only broken by those adorned in pricey replica jerseys with the names of their favorite players. Many of these names achieved household status last July 5 when the U.S. electrified soccer enthusiasts around the world with a stunning display of power in a memorable 5-2 defeat of Japan for the World Cup. And here they were, competing on the local pitch in their all white kits, led by all-world star midfielder Carli Lloyd, goalkeeper Hope Solo, forward Alex Morgan, defenders Meghan Klingenberg and Ali Krieger. Lines at merchandise stands outside stadium gates were long as fans awaited their opportunity to buy items ranging from T-shirts to six-foot-long scarves with the motto “One Nation, One Team” printed on them. And those who were late getting to their seats missed the first U.S. goal, as Morgan sent a 6th minute cross to an unmarked Lloyd, who had an open net from about five yards away. Then, in the 22nd minute, Lloyd again found herself in perfect position as a pass in the goal mouth was headed into the air. She leaped to send the ball into the net milliseconds before an Irish defender’s head collided with her chin, sending both women to the turf for treatment. Returning to the match in the 25th minute, Lloyd completed her sixth career hat trick in the 29th minute when the Irish goalkeeper misplayed a ball, leaving her with a look at a wide-open net from 20 yards, her 82nd international goal. At that point, the score was effectively Lloyd 3, Ireland 0, and the crowd’s passionate cheering increased with every offensive possibility or defensive rejection. Lloyd sat out the second half as USWNT coach Jill Ellis sent six substitutes into the game, with one making history. Forward Mallory Pugh made her debut with the national team in the 58th minute at the age of 17 years, 9 months. And Pugh made the most of her first appearance. In the 84th minute she scored the final U.S. goal, becoming only the 19th player to score in their debut. Current teammates Stephanie McCaffrey and Christen Press, who assisted on the goal, also achieved this feat. Another notable moment came in the final minute of the first half when Morgan, playing in her 100th career match with the team, scored her 57th career goal on an assist by Lloyd. Among the more interesting groups in the crowd was a large contingent in field level section 19, where a group of young men somehow got through stadium security with three massive bass drums, which they managed to pound on with unending energy from pre-game warmups until after the final whistle. Dozens of energized voices sang soccer-related lyrics to such diverse tunes as “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” Little Peggy March’s 1963 teen hit “I Will Follow Him” and The Ramones’ 1976 rocker “Blitzkrieg Bop.” You won’t witness this at a Chargers or Padres game! Following the match, hundreds of fans waited for more than an hour until the U.S. players, wheeling suitcases, appeared in a stadium tunnel, walking to a waiting bus. Sharpies and other writing instruments were in abundance as persons of all ages sought autographs on soccer balls and a selection of clothing and jerseys. In a post-match press conference, Ellis praised her team’s work rate and level of preparation for upcoming events including the Olympic Qualifying Championship set for Feb. 10 to 21 in Houston and Frisco, Texas. The U.S. team opens in Group A against Costa Rica Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. (PST). Others in the group are Puerto Rico and Mexico. Group B includes Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. The top two teams from these eight will qualify for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Brazil where rosters are limited to only 18 players. NOTES: – The crowd of 23,309 nearly doubled the previous best total in five San Diego appearances by the USWNT, the first four of which were played at the University of San Diego stadium.
– For USWNT goalkeeper Solo, the game marked her 91st shutout and 143rd win, most in U.S. history, in 186 matches.
– The match marked Lloyd’s 212th appearance. 
– Since the start of 2015, the USWNT is 21-2-4, scoring 79 goals while yielding only 12.
– In the series with Ireland, the U.S. is now 12-0-0.
– Morgan becomes the 34th player in history to play 100 times for her country. Retired midfielder Kristine Lilly holds the record with 352 caps.