Retiring Alyssa Naeher top of mind for USWNT ahead of friendly vs. England

Alyssa Naeher admits she was a little nervous about telling Emma Hayes she was ready to hang up her boots.

Naeher, who announced her decision to retire from international soccer earlier this week, isn't one to let nerves show. In fact, she's extremely well known for her calm and stoic demeanor, especially in pressure-packed situations such as a penalty shootout in a World Cup. But when she spoke with Hayes last month during the USWNT's training camp in Austin, there was a bit of normal stress that came with the moment.

"I think to have that conversation made it very real," Naeher told reporters Wednesday. The USWNT is in London training ahead of Saturday's friendly showdown vs. England at Wembley Stadium. The team will then face the Netherlands at ADO Den Haag Stadium on Dec. 3.

"But it was a great conversation," Naeher continued. "I just went to her, and I was like, ‘Look, we talk about things in cycles, we talk about transition, and we talk about all those things. I have a big decision to make as an individual, and you do as a team.' And it was important to me to understand where she was at and have that conversation before anything was fully decided on. 

"And she was great. She was very supportive. She was thankful for different contributions [I've made] to the team over the years and this past year. But it was a good conversation."

Naeher has been the USWNT's starting goalkeeper since 2017. She's a two-time World Cup champion and an Olympic gold medalist. She's set the expectation for how a U.S. goalkeeper should conduct oneself on and off the field, and has developed a reputation for being an expert penalty shooter and stopper. She's a quieter leader, but "she's helped guide younger players, she's helped guide me," Naomi Girma said. "She's a cheerleader and a hype woman for everyone."

At 36 years old, Naeher is the oldest player on the current roster and was the last remaining member from the 2015 World Cup squad who played in this past summer's Olympics where the U.S. won gold. Naeher said she's "at peace with the decision" but at the same time, "it's still the end of something and change is scary."

"I just feel so much joy for her and I think seeing her receive her flowers in this way is so amazing as someone who was underrated for so many years," Girma said. "There was definitely a lot of sadness at the beginning. Not having her on the field and also not having her in camp will be an adjustment. But I mean, what an incredible career she's had, and to go out on her own terms and feel at peace with it is amazing."

Naeher's approach to her decision was practical. She understood that she'd be 39 years old at the next World Cup in 2027 and 40 at the Olympics in 2028. While she'll still play for the Chicago Stars during the 2025 NWSL season, she feels "fulfilled" by her career.

"It takes a lot out of you," she said. "I think I've been somebody that has given everything I've had to this team. And I don't do anything halfway. If you can give 100% to it, then keep going. 

"And with that in mind, I kind of just felt like this was the right time coming off of the Olympics, having the year we've had, entering into a new cycle, a new stage for this team. It just felt like I've given everything I have to give to this team and it just felt like the right time."

As 2024 — which included Hayes taking over the USWNT and proceeding to win the Americans' first gold medal since the 2012 Olympics — comes to a close, the focus turns toward the 2027 World Cup. This European trip was deliberately planned with games against quality opponents to give experience to younger players as Hayes broadens the talent pool. The U.S. reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the FIFA rankings after the Paris Olympics, while England is No. 2 in the world and the Netherlands are ranked eleventh.

This window will be Naeher's last hurrah, but Hayes will likely be focusing on the other goalkeepers. Mandy Haught from the Utah Royals, who earned her first cap last month, and Manchester United's Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who just received her first USWNT call up, could get playing time. Familiar faces like Casey Murphy, Jane Campbell and Aubrey Kingsbury aren't part of this roster, but are in the mix to replace Naeher as well.

Naeher doesn't know Haught or Tullis-Joyce particularly well — they only arrived in London on Monday — but she can certainly impart wisdom.

"I'm excited about the crop of goalkeepers that we have coming up," Naeher said. "I think what I've tried to at least show and instill in the future generations is just the power of preparation, the mindset going into training, the preparedness of what it looks like to be able to play at this level. 

"Obviously everybody wants to be on the field and only one can be at a time. But having that balance of pushing each other every single day in training and then also supporting whoever is on the field at any given time — because you know it's going to come back around to you and you'll get that same support when you are on the field — and that just goes a long way."

Naeher succeeded legendary goalkeeper Hope Solo, and said a key to her success back then was never comparing herself to her predecessor.

"I always just tried to be myself and try to focus on how I could help the team at any moment both on and off the field," Naeher said. "My focus was more on how I can continue to improve and be the best goalkeeper, best teammate that I could be every single day and keep learning.

"I had the opportunity to learn from her for a number of years, as well as [Nicole Barnhart] and playing with Ashlyn [Harris] and Jill Loyden and that whole crew of goalkeepers that I came in with, and I think those training sessions over my younger years helped really shape me into the goalkeeper that I became."

It's sort of poetic that one of Naeher's final matches — it could be her final match depending on Hayes' lineups — will be against England. A defining moment of Naeher's USWNT career came at the 2019 World Cup when she heroically saved a penalty kick in the 84th minute of the semifinal vs. the Lionesses. The Americans ended up winning 2-1 to clinch a spot in the final where they went on to beat the Netherlands 2-0.

The U.S. last played England at Wembley in October 2022 and lost 2-1.

"It's a great opportunity for us as a team against high-quality opponents, on the road in Europe," Naeher said. "Challenging environments is always something that is really important for the development of a team as you want to be in uncomfortable situations and I think it's a great way for us to end the year as we continue to build towards the future."

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.