The United States women's national team took its first step toward qualifying for the 2019 World Cup with a 6-0 win over Mexico on Thursday.

Megan Rapinoe had two goals and an assist while Alex Morgan added two more goals to help the Americans cruise to an opening win in the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, North Carolina. 

This tournament serves as both the continental championship in the sport and the qualifier of up to four spots in next summer's World Cup, which makes this win a great start for the United States' potential run to a title.

Megan Rapinoe Excels in Leadership Role

While there are more experienced players on the roster, head coach Jill Ellis decided to let Rapinoe wear the captain's armband against Mexico. Per Caitlin Murray of the New York Times, this was only her second appearance as captain of the national team, with the only other time being a tribute to her 100th cap during a friendly.

Rapinoe took advantage of the opportunity with one of her best games in the red, white and blue.

She scored two goals that each came off scrambles in front of the net, including one just three minutes into the game that gave the Americans an early advantage:

The forward's set piece helped create the second goal of the match, and it was her perfect corner that led directly to an Alex Morgan score:

OptaJack noted the chemistry she has shown with Morgan as of late:

Although the United States struggled to turn opportunities into goals in the 1-0 first half, this wasn't an issue in the second as the team's best players made plays in the final third.

In this one, no one was more important than Rapinoe, who pushed the action with and without the ball to help turn the match into a rout. While her goals won't necessarily be on highlight reels, she showed great awareness to take advantage of Mexico's mistakes.

This type of effort will help make the United States' offense nearly impossible to defend, especially when Morgan, Tobin Heath and others are also playing at their best. 

Rebuilt USA Defense Passes First Major Test

The United States is clearly the most talented team in CONCACAF and possibly the entire world, but the biggest question mark in the next few weeks and months is on the defensive side of the field.

Graham Hays of ESPNW.com noted the lack of experience playing together the back line had coming into the match:

"Chemistry is important, but obviously we haven't had the same back line in games consistently," Becky Sauerbrunn said before the game, per Hays. "So a lot of it is just making sure you know your role, so when you're on the field everyone can kind of guess and know where that other person is going."

With Crystal Dunn still relatively new at the position after playing forward much of her career, the defense is full of unknowns.

However, the group came to play Thursday with a simply dominant performance.

Mexico had few opportunities close to the net, while the Americans' pressure prevented the team from even stringing many passes together at a time. Per the tournament's official site, El Tri only held 34 percent possession while completing just 68 percent of their passes.

This led to just three total shots in the match, compared to 25 from the United States.

Meanwhile, the defensive players also showed their ability to contribute to the offense as both Dunn and Sauerbrunn earned assists after impressive runs:

There will be stronger competition in the road to the World Cup, but the defense eased some concerns with its performance in this one.

What's Next?

Both teams will continue their Group A play Sunday while hoping to secure a spot in the tournament semifinals. The United States will have the harder battle against Panama, while Mexico takes on Trinidad and Tobago.