Alyssa Naeher facts for kids
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Naeher with the Chicago Red Stars in 2024
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alyssa Michele Naeher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | April 20, 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Chicago Red Stars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Western Mass Lady Pioneers | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | SoccerPlus Connecticut | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Boston Breakers | 36 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Turbine Potsdam | 39 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Boston Breakers | 45 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Chicago Red Stars | 132 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | United States U-16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | United States U-17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | United States U-20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | United States U-23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2024 | United States | 115 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Alyssa Michele Naeher (born April 20, 1988) is an American professional soccer player. She plays as a goalkeeper for the National Women's Soccer League club Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa was part of the United States team that won the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was also the main goalkeeper for the U.S. teams that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also helped the team win a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Before joining the Red Stars, she played for the Boston Breakers and Turbine Potsdam. In 2014, she was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year while playing for the Breakers.
Contents
Early Life and College Soccer
Alyssa Naeher grew up in Connecticut and went to Christian Heritage School. She was an amazing soccer player there. She was chosen for All-State and All-Conference teams three times. She was also a Parade All-American. Besides soccer, Alyssa was a great basketball player, scoring over 2,000 points in her school career.
In 2006, she played for the Western Mass Lady Pioneers. She played in 11 games and let in very few goals.
Playing for Penn State University
From 2006 to 2009, Alyssa attended Penn State University. She started 74 games, winning 50 of them. She also had 24 games where she didn't let any goals in (called shutouts). She was named a First Team All-American in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, she was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Club Career Highlights
Boston Breakers (2010–2011)
In 2010, the Boston Breakers picked Alyssa Naeher in the professional soccer draft. She was the first goalkeeper chosen that year. On August 4, 2010, she got her first shutout against the Atlanta Beat. The Breakers finished second in the league that season.
Turbine Potsdam (2011–2013)
After the 2011 season, Alyssa moved to Germany to play for Turbine Potsdam, a team in the German league. She played in 24 games during the 2011-2012 season, and her team won the league championship. She stayed with Potsdam for the 2012-2013 season.
Return to Boston Breakers (2013–2015)
In May 2013, Alyssa came back to the United States. She signed with the Boston Breakers again, this time in the new National Women's Soccer League.
During the 2014 season, Alyssa played every minute for Boston. She made an amazing 106 saves in 24 games, which was a record. Because of her great performance, she won the Goalkeeper of the Year award.
In November 2015, Alyssa was traded from the Boston Breakers to the Chicago Red Stars.
Chicago Red Stars (2016–Present)
Alyssa started strong with the Chicago Red Stars in 2016. She was named Player of the Month for May. She had three shutouts and only let in one goal in four games. She was also a finalist for Goalkeeper of the Year.
She was nominated for Goalkeeper of the Year again in 2017. In 2018, she was named Player of the Week in June. On August 18, 2018, Alyssa played her 100th NWSL game for the Red Stars.
On March 23, 2024, Alyssa made history. She became the first goalkeeper in the NWSL to get 50 wins for one club. This happened when the Red Stars beat Seattle Reign FC 2–1.
International Career with the U.S. Team
Alyssa was part of the U.S. U-20 national team that won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan-American Games. They lost to the full Brazilian national team in the final.
In 2008, Alyssa was the main goalkeeper for the U-20 team that won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. She played in almost every game and only let in one goal during the whole tournament. She won the Golden Glove Award, which is given to the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
On December 18, 2014, Alyssa played her first game for the senior United States Women's National Team. It was a 7–0 win against Argentina. She played the whole game and got her first shutout.
Alyssa was on the team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She was a backup goalkeeper, and the U.S. team won the World Cup. In July 2016, she was also on the team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
After the 2016 Olympics, Alyssa became the main goalkeeper for the U.S. Women's National Team. She played in four of five games at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, getting four shutouts. The U.S. team won the championship by beating Canada 2–0.
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
On May 2, 2019, Alyssa was chosen for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup team. This was her second World Cup. She was the main goalkeeper for the U.S. team. When she started the first game on June 11, it was the first time in over 20 years that neither Hope Solo nor Briana Scurry was in goal for the U.S. at a World Cup. Alyssa had three shutouts in the group stage. The U.S. won against Thailand (13–0), Chile (3–0), and Sweden (2–0).
In the knockout rounds, Alyssa made four important saves against France in the quarterfinals, helping the U.S. win 2–1. In the semifinals, she made three saves and stopped a penalty kick from Steph Houghton of England. This helped the U.S. win 2–1. In the final game, Alyssa had one save and helped the U.S. get a shutout against the Netherlands, winning 2–0. The U.S. team won the World Cup again! Alyssa played every minute of the team's successful journey in the 2019 World Cup.
2020 Summer Olympics
On June 23, 2021, Alyssa was chosen for the 2020 Summer Olympics team. These games were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alyssa helped her team reach the semifinals. In the quarterfinals against the Netherlands, she saved three penalty kicks: one during the game and two in the penalty shootout. She played until the 30th minute of the semifinal against Canada but had to leave due to an injury. Her team went on to win the bronze medal.
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
Alyssa was on the team for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which was her third World Cup. In a tough game against Sweden, she saved one penalty kick. She almost saved another, but the ball crossed the goal line by just a tiny bit, which meant the U.S. was out of the World Cup. In that game, she also became the first goalkeeper ever to take a penalty shot at a World Cup (for men or women), and the first to both score from the penalty spot and save a penalty.
2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
On February 7, 2024, Alyssa was named to the team for the first-ever 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup. She played in 5 of the 6 matches. She also reached her 100th game for the national team during the quarter-final match against Colombia, where she kept a clean sheet (no goals allowed) in a 3–0 win. Alyssa became only the third goalkeeper in the history of the U.S. Women's National Team to play 100 games for the senior team.
Alyssa was highly praised for how well she played in the semifinal against Canada. She saved three penalty kicks and even scored one herself in the penalty shootout after the game ended in a 2–2 tie. Alyssa was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament and won the Golden Glove award. The U.S. went on to win the first Gold Cup, beating Brazil 1–0.
2024 Summer Olympics
On June 26, 2024, Alyssa was chosen for the 2024 Summer Olympics team. This was her third Olympic tournament. She made seven saves to shut out Germany in the semifinals, including a game-winning save in the last seconds of extra time. She made key saves against Brazil's Gabi Portilho and Adriana in the final. The United States won the final 1–0 with a goal from Mallory Swanson.
During the tournament, Alyssa recorded four shutouts. This means she passed Hope Solo for the most shutouts by any U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper in a single Olympic Games.
On November 25, 2024, Alyssa announced that she would stop playing international games at the end of the year. Her last international game was on December 3, 2024, a 2-1 win over the Netherlands, where she made several strong saves. Because of her great playing in her final year, Alyssa was named U.S. Soccer's 2024 Female Player of the Year. She is only the second goalkeeper to win this special award.
Personal Life
Alyssa is the daughter of John and Donna Lynn Naeher. She has a twin sister named Amanda, who also played soccer for Messiah College. She also has a younger sister named Abigail. Alyssa is a Christian.
Honors
United States U20
- FIFA U20 Women's World Cup: 2008
- CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship runner-up: 2008
United States
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015, 2019
- Summer Olympic Games Gold Medal: 2024
- Summer Olympic Games Bronze Medal: 2020
- CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2018; 2022
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup: 2024
- CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016; 2020
- SheBelieves Cup: 2016; 2018; 2020, 2021; 2022; 2023,2024
- Tournament of Nations: 2018
Individual
- The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper: 2024
- The Best FIFA Women's 11: 2024
- U.S. Soccer Player of the Year: 2024
- ESPN FC Women's Rank: #30 on the 2024 list of 50 best women's soccer players 2024
- CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year: 2018
- CONCACAF Best XI: 2018
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup Golden Glove: 2024
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup Best XI: 2024
- NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year: 2014
- NWSL Best XI: 2014
- NWSL Second XI: 2016
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Golden Glove: 2008
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup All star team: 2008
- IFFHS Women's World's Best Goalkeeper: 2024
- IFFHS Women's World Team: 2024
See Also
In Spanish: Alyssa Naeher para niños
- List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians
