Longtime USWNT and Chicago Stars keeper announces her retirement
By Lesley Ryder
Alyssa Naeher’s storied career has come to a close. The two-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist announced her exit on her instagram account this morning.
An original member of the NWSL premiere season, Naeher’s professional career began with the WPS Boston Breakers in 2010. When the league folded, she headed to Turbine Potsdam of the Frauen Bundesliga. She returned to Boston when the NWSL launched in 2013, and in 2015 she was transfered to the Chicago Red Stars.
Naeher’s national team career has filled her trophy case from the youth level, to the senior national team. A member of the famed 2008 U-20 world cup-winning team, Naeher bided her time at the senior level, learning from the likes of Hope Solo and Nicole Barnhart. Her time in the #1 kit finally came following the team’s early exit from the 2016 Olympics. Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, she endured doubters and criticism over her selection.
Those doubters were silenced after Alyssa Naeher’s heroic efforts to bring the USWNT their fourth World Cup title. In the semifinal match against England, the keeper saved a late penalty in the 84th minute by Steph Houghton to preserve the team’s lead. In the final match against the Netherlands, Naeher kept a clean sheet.
Four years later, the USWNT were eliminated in the round of sixteen following a lengthy battle in penalty kicks. Alyssa Naeher scored and made a save, but it wasn’t enough to push the team through to the next round.
But at the 2024 Olympics, the USWNT finished back on top. Alyssa Naeher collected another championship-clinching clean sheet against Brazil, and was later named as FIFA’s The Best goalkeeper. Alyssa Naeher retired from the national team at the end of 2024, and was later honored by the USWNT in her home state of Connecticut.
The storied goalkeeper leaves the NWSL with the most saves, and every goalkeeping record possible at Chicago Stars FC.