The United States launched their bid for an unprecedented third consecutive <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2023/07/20/womens-world-cup-2023-opening-ceremony-in-pictures/" target="_blank">Women's World Cup</a> crown with a 3-0 win over Vietnam on Saturday, as fellow favourites England were set to enter the fray. Sophia Smith, 22, was the star of the show at Eden Park in Auckland, scoring twice and setting up captain Lindsey Horan for the third in front of just over 41,000 fans. The only sour note for Vlatko Andonovski's side, which featured six World Cup debutants at kick-off, was that they were not more ruthless in front of goal. They had 27 attempts to Vietnam's none and Alex Morgan missed a first-half penalty. "At the end I just felt we needed to be a little bit better with the final shot," said the coach. "We created opportunities, we had a penalty kick, obviously enough to score a few more goals, but there are lots of positives from game one going into game two." Next up for the Americans, who brought veteran Megan Rapinoe off the bench for the last 30 minutes, are the Dutch in a re-run of the 2019 final. The US won that game 2-0 to retain their title. "I think it is a good place to start and personally it was good to just get a World Cup game under my belt and see how it felt," said Smith after enjoying a dream debut at the tournament. "I think it honestly just makes me more excited for the next game." The United States matched the scoreline of Spain, who were also<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2023/07/21/spain-ease-past-costa-rica-3-0-in-womens-world-cup-mismatch/" target="_blank"> easy winners against Costa Rica </a>on Friday. Smith said she found handling the occasion, before a crowd of over 41,000, easier thanks to the presence of captain Horan, the Lyon midfielder. "I love playing with Lindsey. She is such a great player. She has such a great eye for a lot of things that a lot of players don't see," said Smith. "It is an honour to play with Lindsey and it's a lot of fun, and being from Colorado together makes it a little more special."