Mapfre Stadium played host to the opening games of the annual SheBelieves Cup on Thursday, as a typical Ohio March day mishmash of sunshine, torrential rain, heavy winds and the odd bit of snow welcomed some of the best of the best of Women’s International Soccer.
England and France played the early game in front of a modest crowd of people that don’t have to work on a Thursday afternoon as a dominant England brushed asside their opponents with a convincing 4-1 victory.
The crowd grew significantly for the main event of the evening as the number 1 ranked US Women’s National Team took on the number 2 ranked Germans.
A very annoying rain and high winds made for some pretty slick conditions causing both teams to look a little sloppy in posession during an unpredictable encounter.
The US managed to take the win with a first half goal from veteran winger Megan Rapinoe.
The competition continues on Sunday at the Red Bull Arena in NJ, before finishing up on Wednesday in Orlando.
Matt Ellis is a freelance photographer who covers bands that visit the city and the Columbus Crew MLS team. More about Matt can be found at Matt Ellis Photography.
