The United States scored early and it scored late. The Americans got five goals with their feet, one with a header, one with a chest and another when an opponent put the ball into his own net.

A record-setting rout began when Clint Dempsey scored 53 seconds in, and when it was over, the United States had opened qualifying for the 2010 World Cup with an 8-0 victory over Barbados yesterday in Carson, Calif.

Next weekend's second leg of the home-and-home, total-goals series is a mere formality.

"We're not going to say we're going to go out and win the World Cup after playing Barbados," Dempsey said. "Nothing against them. They came out and tried hard, but we're supposed to win these types of games decisively."

Dempsey and Kamehameha Schools alum Brian Ching scored two goals apiece, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley and Eddie Johnson each had one, and Barbados' Daryl Ferguson had an own goal. The margin of victory was the highest in the 92-year-history of the U.S. team, and it was only the second time the Americans had as many as eight goals in a game.

Ching scored the third goal of the game in the 20th minute when Pablo Mastroeni's shot bounced off his chest and into the goal. Ching's second goal came in the 89th minute when he redirected Steve Cherundolo's cross into the net.

"It felt good to get a good one at the end," Ching said. "I was agonizingly close all day. To finally put that one in at the end, my effort felt rewarded."

Bob Bradley had told his team in the leadup to the match to set an early tone.

"We spent a lot of time with just getting off on the right foot, and a goal early like that is certainly getting off on the right foot," Bradley said.

The only other time the United States scored this many goals was in an 8-1 victory over the Cayman Islands in 1993. The Americans had 7-0 wins against El Salvador in 1993 and Barbados in a 2000 qualifier.

KAI SCORES GOAL AS U.S. WOMEN TOP AUSTRALIA

The U.S. women's team beat Australia, 2-1, yesterday in Suwon, South Korea, in its opening match of the 2008 Peace Queen Cup on goals by Natasha Kai in the first half and Abby Wambach 13 minutes from the end of the game.

After a ragged start, the top-ranked Americans got going thanks to midfielder Heather O'Reilly. She created the first goal after collecting a ball on the right wing, accelerating down the flank, beating a defender and sending a dangerous chip into the penalty area.

Kai, a Kahuku High and University of Hawai'i alum, was making a cutting run and slipped in front of a defender to beat goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri to the ball. Kai poked it by her from 6 yards into the lower left corner.

The goal was Kai's team-leading 11th of 2008 and 19th of her young international career.

Kai earlier was forced out of the game momentarily with a cut under her left eye.

The equalizer came in the 57th minute. Amy Chapman chipped a cross from the right wing that landed among a group of U.S. defenders, but took an awkward spinning bounce to the foot of Heather Garriock. The Australia midfielder got only a piece of the ball on her shot, but it was enough to send the well-placed change-up trickling past goalkeeper Hope Solo.

As she often does, though, Wambach came through with a clutch goal, her 96th international score.

Aly Wagner, seeing her first action of 2008 after a long recovery from a double-hernia operation, sent a pass to the back post just outside the 6-yard box. Wambach rose over two defenders and with her back to the goal, sent a shot off the back of her head. The ball sneaked past the diving Barbieri and through a small gap into the net.

GOLF

DIXON CAPTURES FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR WIN

David Dixon shot a 5-under 66 yesterday to win the Saint-Omer Open in Saint-Omer, France, and earn his first victory on the PGA European Tour.

The Englishman, who was nine shots off the lead in the opening round, finished at 5-under 279 to beat Christian Nilsson of Sweden by one stroke.

The 31-year-old Dixon had the best performance of the day with a bogey-free round, sinking consecutive birdies from the 7th hole to the 10th before taking the lead for good with a birdie on the 14th.

Nilsson finished with a 71 after three bogeys over the last nine holes.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

In the 2008 European Championship in soccer yesterday in Basel, Switzerland, Switzerland beat Portugal, 2-0, and in Geneva, Switzerland, Turkey beat the Czech Republic, 3-2.