As U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher looked ahead to the next Women's World Cup in 2027, she calculated what that would look like at her age.
Now 36, she already has a World Cup title and won an Olympic gold medal this year in France. She considered the mental, physical and emotional toll of a new cycle and decided it was time to step away.
“Honestly, I think I’ve been somebody that has given everything I’ve had to this team. I don’t do anything halfway. It’s kind of, if you can give 100% to it, then keep going," she said. “With that in mind, I kind of just felt like this was the right time coming off of the Olympics, having the year that we had, entering into a new cycle, a new stage for this team.”
Naeher is the latest veteran to announce she's stepping down from the national team as the next generation takes over under coach Emma Hayes. Among those who have wrapped up their soccer careers in the past couple of years include World Cup winners Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Kelley O'Hara and Ali Krieger.
Naeher will be with the team for two more matches in the coming week. The Americans play England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and then the Netherlands in The Hague on Tuesday.
Naeher said she's excited about the next generation of goalkeepers. In addition to Naeher, Mandy Haught of the Utah Royals and Phallon Tullis-Joyce of Manchester United are on the roster for the upcoming matches. Other goalkeepers who have been on recent rosters include Casey Murphy and Jane Campbell.
“I think the beauty of goalkeeping is that it’s not really a one-size-fits-all kind of position," she said. "The more that you can understand — that's going to be the challenge any young goalkeeper coming up, is really taking the time to understand what your strengths are and make them really, really elite and separate yourself.”
Naeher spoke on Wednesday from London after announcing her retirement on social media Monday.
Naeher made her senior debut with the national team in 2014 and was a backup to Hope Solo at the 2015 World Cup, which the United States won. She became the team’s regular starter following the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and was on the squad that repeated as World Cup winners in 2019.
Naeher won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before the U.S. earned gold this year in Paris. She made a key one-handed save in stoppage time to preserve the Americans’ 1-0 victory over Brazil in the Olympic final.
For her career, Naeher has appeared 113 games with 110 starts, 88 wins and 68 shutouts. She had four shutouts over the course of the Olympic tournament in France.
While she's leaving the national team, she'll play one more year for her club team, the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League.
“I hope that I can be remembered as a good teammate, as a competitor, as somebody that was looked on as someone that could be relied upon on the field and supported those players around me,” she said. “I think it’s just been a really special team to be a part of. And I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the years.”
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
