There isn't much opportunity to watch Nigerian club soccer in the USA, and even less opportunity to watch Nigerian clubs' youth teams - so it would be disingenuous to say there was anything surprising about the fact the Golden Eaglets dominated the US U-17 Men's National Team in their opening game of the 2015 U-17 World Cup. Indeed, given Nigeria's record at this level (four titles and seven finals in the 15-tournament history of the competition), anything less than a good display from the Eaglets would have been a surprise.

The USA U-17 squad includes some well-regarded players, many of whom may go on to have distinguished soccer careers, but right now, their Nigerian counterparts are better. Had Haji Wright converted an early chance for the Americans, it likely would merely have served to make the game look closer than it was. Nigeria won 2-0, and the failure to turn in a bigger victory will be the focus of its coaches' post-match analysis.

As for the Americans, Auston Trusty had a very unfortunate outing. A flubbed clearance gifted Nigeria its opening goal, and then he was sent off for getting tangled up with Victor Osimhen, a rangy forward whose goal (Nigeria's second) was to his credit. But the pantomime he performed to get Trusty sent off did the young player's reputation no favors.

The two New York Red Bulls in the squad - Matthew Olosunde and Tyler Adams - spelled each other, with Adams entering the game for Olusunde in the 67th minute.

The USA's next match is against Croatia on October 20. The top two teams from each group qualify for the knockout rounds, so the loss to Nigeria is by no means fatal to American hopes of having a positive impact on this tournament.