The U.S. women’s national team is losing its rock.
Alyssa Naeher, the only goalkeeper to record shutouts in both World Cup and Olympic finals, announced her retirement from international soccer Monday. Matches in England on Saturday and in the Netherlands on Dec. 3 will be her last with the USWNT.
Naeher, 36, currently has 88 wins and 68 shutouts in 113 appearances for the USWNT, and her career goals-against average is 0.50. She is a two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold and bronze medalist.
“Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honor,” Naeher said in a release from U.S. Soccer. “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.”
Naeher had the unenviable task of replacing Hope Solo after U.S. Soccer banished Solo for multiple episodes of bad behavior. The two were polar opposites in personality; Naeher was quiet and uncomfortable in the spotlight, always deflecting credit to the rest of the team. Some suggested that would be to the USWNT’s detriment, and that not having Solo would cost the Americans at the 2019 World Cup.
“No one’s given her time yet,” defender Julie Ertz said ahead of the USWNT’s opener in that tournament. “We know who she is. We train with her every day. We know how good she is.”
In the semifinal against England, she blocked Steph Houghton’s penalty kick in the 83rd minute and then smothered the ball so the Lionesses wouldn’t have the opportunity to score on the rebound. The save preserved the USWNT’s 2-1 win and sent them onto the final, where they beat the Netherlands 2-0.
At this summer’s Paris Olympics, Naeher made a spectacular save in the 119th minute of the gold-medal game to uphold the USWNT’s 1-0 win over Brazil. It was her fourth shutout of the Games, the most by any U.S. goalkeeper at a single Olympics.
And while the U.S. women made their earliest exit ever at last year’s World Cup, it wasn’t Naeher’s fault. She allowed one goal in four matches. She also added to her lore by taking — and making — a penalty kick in the round-of-16 loss to Sweden.
She would do the same in the SheBelieves Cup title game against Canada earlier this year, stopping three of Canada’s four attempts and converting her own.
Naeher will play at least one more season for the Chicago Stars in the NWSL, where she holds the league records for saves and appearances.
