USWNT, NWSL GK Alyssa Naeher retiring after 16-year career

By Field Level Media Nov 13 (Field Level Media) – Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher announced her retirement from professional soccer after 16 seasons that included two World Cup ​titles in that span with the United States women’s ‌national team and a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. A product of Penn State, the Connecticut native began her professional career with the Boston Breakers in Women’s Professional Soccer then moved ‌to ​Germany to play professionally when the ⁠league folded. Naeher returned ⁠to Boston’s entry in the National Women’s Soccer League after the league was formed. Naeher, 38, has played the past 11 seasons with the Chicago Stars, seeing time in ​179 games and even scoring a goal. After competing with the United States’ U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams, ⁠she made 115 appearances with the ⁠USWNT. “The decision to retire is never an ​easy one, but after a lot of prayer and reflection, ​I feel like it is the right time,” Naeher ‌said in a team release. “When I got traded from Boston to Chicago at the end of 2015, I felt like my world got turned upside down, but Chicago very ⁠quickly became my home away from home. I feel incredibly blessed to have shared the field with so many amazing teammates ⁠over the last ‌11 years.” Naeher retired from international competition in ⁠2024 but remained in NWSL where she ​is ‌the league’s career leader in appearances from ​a goalkeeper (224) ⁠and saves (765) in regular-season play. Naeher’s time in Chicago included a 485-minute scoreless streak, she helped the Stars reach the playoffs in six consecutive seasons (2016-22) and finished off 50 clean sheets in NWSL regular-season play. There was no 2020 NWSL regular ​season. (–Field Level Media)