USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announces retirement from international soccer
United States women's national team star goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has announced that she will retire from the international game following the squad's upcoming two matches in Europe. The Americans face England on Nov. 30 and the Netherlands on Dec. 3.
She will play for the Chicago Red Stars during the 2025 NWSL season, though, after re-signing with the club in September.
Naeher, 36, will go down as one of the greatest American goalkeepers of all time and will end her stellar career with the national team as a two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist. She will finish third all-time in goalkeeper caps (113), starts (110), wins (88) and shutouts (68), behind only Hope Solo and Briana Scurry.
"Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honor," Naeher said in a statement. "When I began this journey, I never could have imagined where it would take me, and now I find myself so grateful for all the incredible teammates that I have shared the field with; teammates that have turned into lifelong friends. To all my teammates, coaches and staff, thank you all for pushing me, supporting me, and making me a better person/player every single day. A special thanks goes to my family. You have traveled all over the world and were in my corner every step of the way and I love you all.
"This has been a special team to be a part of, and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime. I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish."
Naeher earned her first cap in December 2014 and eventually became the USWNT's starting goalkeeper in 2017. She will always be known for her calm and steady demeanor under pressure.
"She's just kind of stone-cold all the time. Strictly business," backup Aubrey Kingsbury told FOX Sports ahead of the 2023 World Cup. "She doesn't even drink water, and I'm like, ‘Can we please drink some water so, like, I can?'
"She's just very intense, very focused, very serious. Very intelligent, very stoic, very steady."
Naeher's resume is jam-packed with highlights. At the 2019 World Cup, Naeher played every minute and gave up just three goals and earned four shutouts. She heroically saved a penalty kick against England in the 84th minute of the semifinal to help the U.S. clinch a 2-1 victory and a spot in the final, where they beat the Netherlands.
At the Olympics in France this summer, Naeher made plenty of marvelous saves, though there probably wasn't one more dramatic than her game-winning stop in the final seconds of extra time in the semifinal match vs. Germany. Naeher saved the shot with her toe and the USWNT won 1-0, earning a spot in the final where they beat Brazil to win gold.
The 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was a huge disappointment for the U.S., getting knocked out in the round of 16 following a dramatic penalty shootout with Sweden. Naeher made a penalty kick herself and then turned around to save one, becoming the first-ever goalkeeper to take and make a penalty kick in Women's World Cup history. Later, she thought she saved Sweden's game-winning PK, but VAR and photo evidence proved the ball barely went over the line, knocking the Americans out of the tournament.
"It's tough to have your World Cup end by a millimeter," Naeher famously said after the match.
It took a while for Naeher to get over that moment, but she bounced back in 2024 and earned a reputation for her penalty shootout prowess. In the Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinal in March, Naeher saved three of Canada's PKs and buried her own. Then she turned around and did the exact same thing a month later — again vs. Canada — to win the SheBelieves Cup.
'We just lost the World Cup by a millimeter' - Alyssa Naeher
Now one of the biggest questions for Emma Hayes looms ever larger following Naeher's announcement — who will replace her as the next great USWNT starter? Casey Murphy was the backup at the Paris Olympics and has the next most caps (20). Jane Campbell led the NWSL with 113 saves and was an alternate goalkeeper at the Olympics. Kingsbury was the third-string goalkeeper at the 2023 World Cup and recently showed off her own PK expertise during the NWSL semifinal when she saved every shot to send the Washington Spirit to the final.
The competition is heating up, though. Hayes called up more inexperienced players Mandy Haught of the Utah Royals and Phallon Tullis-Joyce from Manchester United for this training camp. Haught made her senior national team debut in October, while Tullis-Joyce was just named to her first USWNT roster.
Naeher would have been 39 at the next World Cup, so Hayes has likely already started thinking of a succession plan. But with the announcement now official and Naeher's career coming to a close, Hayes' evaluation of the U.S. goalkeeper pool will be a top storyline as the focus turns to 2027.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
