On Monday, U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced her retirement from international soccer after the final FIFA window of 2024. The U.S. is set to play England on Nov. 30, and then the Netherlands on December 3.
Naeher will hang up her cleats as a two-time World Cup winner, an Olympic gold and bronze medalist, and a W Gold Cup champion, too. She will have played for the U.S. for over a decade, amassing 111 caps before these final two matches.
The 36-year-old holds the USWNT record for goals conceded per match with 0.50. Alongside Bri Scurry and Hope Solo, she will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers the U.S. has ever produced, and certainly one of the best the international game has ever seen.
Nicknamed 'Uncle', Naeher is known for her quiet demeanor and reluctance to show affection in post-match celebrations. However, in recent years, younger teammates have been getting the quiet leader to come out of her shell. She is also renowned for being a lover of crosswords and loathing being the center of attention.
So, as the U.S. bids a final farewell, let's take a look back at some of Naeher's greatest moments from her outstanding international career.
5. 2016: Assuming the mantle from Hope Solo
After making her debut for the USWNT in 2014, Naeher became a trusty backup goalkeeper during her first two years with the national team. Ahead of her was one of the greatest keepers the game had ever seen in Solo, who was also a somewhat polarizing figure off the pitch.
The USWNT won the 2015 World Cup, propelled by Solo's fine performances. Solo played every minute of that tournament, while Naeher kept biding her time as she sat on the bench. Next came the 2016 Olympics, where Solo again soaked up every opportunity.
After the U.S. was knocked by Sweden via a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, Solo called her opponents a "bunch of cowards" for their defensive tactics in the aftermath. Within a month, a fissure at the federation led to the No. 1 goalkeeper being suspended. After more than 200 caps Solo never played for the U.S. again.
In September 2016, the U.S. beat the Netherlands 3–1 in a friendly with Naeher starting in goal. And almost since that very match, she has made the position her own. Despite plenty of anticipation and concern from media and fans that she would not be able to fill the gloves in the wake of a player as dominant as Solo.
4. 2019: Sends England home on route to World Cup
ALYSSA NAEHER COMES UP BIG!
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 2, 2019
The U.S. keeper saves the penalty to keep them ahead vs England. #FIFAWWCpic.twitter.com/wij2WZY89i
Naeher's first big test and moment in the spotlight came at the 2019 World Cup in France. The U.S. would go onto to win its fourth World Cup, the first with Naeher as the starter.
After persevering against Spain in the round of 16, and then handling France calmly in the quarterfinal, the U.S. met England in the semifinal for their most challenging test of the tournament.
A busy opening 31 minutes saw the U.S. twice go ahead. Christen Press opened the scoring before England's Ellen White briefly drew things level, and then Alex Morgan restored the American's lead and unveiled her famous tea-sipping celebration.
Nerves began to creep in for the Americans as White had another equalizer chalked off by VAR for offside. Replays showed the narrowest of margins kept the England forward offside. Then, in the 84th minute, England earned a penalty kick.
Lionesses captain Steph Houghton stepped up and shot low to her left. Naeher was quick to hurl herself in the path of the shot, swallowing the ball into the turf and stopping a rebound too. The U.S. don't win the World Cup without that moment.
3. 2023: Penalty heroics despite defeat to Sweden
"I will go to my grave claiming that I saved it" 🧤@USWNT goalkeeper and penalty taker extraordinaire Alyssa Naeher tells @sammymewy and @lynnraenie that she believes she saved the penalty from Lina Hurtig that knocked the US out of the World Cup. 👏
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) August 31, 2023
pic.twitter.com/iN3jRftwaT
In many ways, Naeher's legacy in the U.S. will be her tremendous performances in penalty shootouts. The USWNT won three and lost just one of the shootouts involving Naeher at major tournaments during her stint as goalkeeper.
The 2023 World Cup was a disappointing tournament for the USWNT. But Naeher conceded just one goal across the four matches, and her performance in the penalty shootout exit to Sweden was one of her most thrilling performances.
Naeher was a player possessed, as she did everything she could to try and drag the U.S. into the quarterfinals. Her athletic dive to tip Rebecka Blomqvist's effort onto the other side of the post was extraordinary. Naeher followed it up by then converting a penalty herself. She became the first goalkeeper to save and convert a penalty at the World Cup.
The shootout ended infamously with Naeher thinking she had saved Lina Hurtig's decisive kick when in fact VAR showed the ball had crossed the line by a matter of millimeters. There was almost nothing more Naeher could have done for her team on that day.
2. 2024: Gold Cup shootout masterclass
ALYSSA NAEHER POWERS THE #USWNT TO THE GOLD CUP FINALS IN PENALTIES 🤯
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 7, 2024
Naeher saved three (!) penalties in the shootout while converting one.
🇺🇸 ✅❌✅✅
🇨🇦 ❌✅❌❌
🎥@AttackingThirdpic.twitter.com/VTs0pwe6Cc
After the bitter defeat to Sweden at the World Cup, Naeher would get another chance to be the decisive figure in a shootout for the U.S. less than a year later.
At the 2024 W Gold Cup, the semifinal between the U.S. and Canada finished 2–2 after extra time. It was Canada who forced the shootout after Adriana Leon scored a penalty in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time. Leon shot to her right as Naeher went the wrong way.
Naeher would have the last laugh, though. A few minutes later, Leon would step up against Naeher in the shootout, and this time the Canadian changed her spot but Naeher remained consistent and blocked the powerful strike.
The next Canada taker, Jordyn Huitema, would see her penalty saved by Naeher in almost the exact same part of the goal. As she liked to do, Naeher then stepped up herself to drill home a crucial kick to make it 2–0 in the shootout.
Naeher capped it off by making her third and final save of the shootout against Jess Fleming to end the contest. The U.S. advanced to the final and would go on to defeat Brazil 1–0 to lift the W Gold Cup. She is the first-ever USWNT goalkeeper to make three saves in a shootout.
1. 2024: Big hands bring home gold against Brazil
YOUR #PARIS2024 GOLD MEDALISTS 🇺🇸🥇 pic.twitter.com/vUNquAG5tn
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 10, 2024
Naeher's final tournament for the USWNT, the 2024 Paris Olympics, was arguably her most influential. Emma Hayes's gritty team relied heavily on their goalkeeper to make big saves in narrow matches in order to claim the gold medal in France.
Naeher was vital throughout but it was her stops in the 1–0 victory over Brazil in a final that will define her legacy.
Brazil was the better team in the first half, and Naeher was almost immediately called into action from close range to stop Ludmila. A few minutes later, the pressure cranked up again when Gabi Portilho swiped a fearsome volley from six yards out, but Naeher was somehow able to parry it away.
However, Naeher's greatest save came in the dying moments of the match. The U.S. was up 1–0 thanks to Mal Swanson and just trying to see out the result defensively. Vitória Yaya found space on a cross from the left wing and then hammered a header that looked destined for the net. With cat-like reactions, Naeher turned a clawed paw into a punch and banished the shot. A gold medal-winning save.
ALYSSA NAEHER TO THE RESCUE. AN UNBELIEVABLE SAVE IN STOPPAGE TIME. 😱#ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/fsJoNKSI40
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the Best Moments of Alyssa Naeher's USWNT Career.
