With wind and sleet howling around them, the USA ground out a difficult win in Columbus tonight with a 1-0 victory over Germany in their first match of the SheBelieves Cup.
Both teams had similar ideas at kickoff— try and set the pace as early as possible. The first 10 minutes or so were fast, with both sides flying forward to steal and early goal and set the terms of the debate. This led to some anxious moments at both ends, with German defenders scrambling to clear balls in their own box and, in one breathless episode, seeing Alyssa Naeher flopping onto her own teammate in order to smother a ball.