Nashville, TN: It was a perfect day to watch the USA defeat Japan in the SheBelieves Cup game played at the beautiful new Geodis Park in Nashville.
The Women’s World Cup in New Zealand is still several months away, but the USWNT is rounding out nicely. Last year was a rough patch for Team USA as they lost three straight games for the first time in decades. However, this year is off to a good start.
The USWNT opened the year with a pair of friendly wins in New Zealand. They then turned their attention to the SheBelieves Cup. They began that campaign with a 2-0 victory over Canada.
SheBelieves Cup
The SheBelieves Cup started in 2016 and has been held in the US every year. Since then, the USWNT has won the event five times, including the last three. His title defense is going pretty well. They dismantled reigning Olympic champions Canada in their first match before turning in a professional, defensive performance against Japan in their second match. Their last game is against Brazil in Frisco, TX on Wednesday.
The United States was far from dominant against the Japanese. However, there were stretches in the first half of the game where Japan imposed their will on the game. Even after falling behind, they created a number of second-half chances that hit the bar or took wild detours in the box that could have gone either way.
The Japanese also forced two point-blank saves from Casey Murphy in the final 10 minutes of the match, but was unable to find the back of the net.
Mallory Swanson is unstoppable right now
No one is in better shape for the USWNT right now than Mallory Swanson. He has scored in five straight games since last November. In those five games, he has scored seven goals.
His goal against Japan was fabulous as it was totally against the course of the game. He saw her outrun a Japanese defender with a long pass and scored with aplomb from eight yards out to give the US a lead they wouldn’t give up.
USA defeats Japan SheBelieves Cup in Geodis Park international debut
The largest and one of the newest soccer stadiums in the US hosted its first international match on Sunday. Geodis Park opened in Nashville in the spring of 2022 with a capacity of 30,000. During its inaugural season, it hosted only Nashville SC games (both in MLS and US Open Cup). But the SheBelieves Cup was the first international event, and it was a success with the United States’ match against Japan drawing 25,471 spectators.
Nashville has proven to be a favorite US Soccer destination, so it’s a good bet that Geodis Park could host USMNT and USWNT events again in the future.
Photo: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo
