On 25 November, Alyssa Naeher, the U.S. Women’s National Team’s #1, announced her retirement from international duty following the upcoming friendlies in Europe.
This announcement concludes a spellbinding 11-year-long international career that began on 18 December 2014 with a 7-0 shutout over Argentina.
Naeher leaves her national team with two World Cups, having featured on three World Cup squads and three Olympic Teams.
During her tenure, she was her nation’s starting goalkeeper for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, winning gold at both competitions.
She retires as the only goalkeeper in the history of her sport to win a shutout in both a World Cup Final and an Olympic gold medal game.
At the 2024 Olympics, her last international competitive tournament, she won four clean sheets, more than any other USWNT goalkeeper ever has in a single Olympics.
Naeher said, “Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honor.
“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.”
The upcoming friendlies in Europe will be her final games under the Team USA badge, for which she currently holds a record of 113 goalkeeper caps, 110 starts, 88 wins, and 68 shutouts.
The USWNT will play England in London on 30 November and the Netherlands in The Hague on 3 December.
Featured image courtesy of Erik Drost via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. License details found here.