"I've been incredibly blessed to have the career that I had and to be able to come back and celebrate it tonight, I hope that people can remember the career as being a good teammate, as somebody who left the game better than I started it," Naeher told reporters in the player tunnel before the United States played Portugal in a friendly."
"Her perseverance is second to none," said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, who coached Naeher in the final year of her international career. "Her ability to dedicate to giving to this team, even sometimes without getting a game -- the goalkeepers always feel that the most. She is a real testament to those things."
"Naeher retired from international play last year after leading the team to the Olympic gold medal. She was the USWNT's starting goalkeeper in its 2019 World Cup triumph."
U.S. Soccer honored former national team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, near her childhood home. More than 150 friends and family attended, including 12 Chicago Stars teammates who tailgated with the Naeher family. Naeher received a standing ovation and was presented with a goalkeeper jersey bearing No. 115, representing her international appearances. She retired from international play last year after helping the United States win Olympic gold and was the starting goalkeeper for the 2019 World Cup victory. Naeher, 37, continued with the Chicago Stars and signed a one-year contract for the 2025 season. Emma Hayes praised her perseverance and team-first dedication.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]