Alyssa Naeher, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in United States history, has announced her retirement from professional soccer. Naeher made a late-game save in Paris during the 2024 Summer Games that secured a 1-0 gold medal win over Brazil for the U.S. women's national team, and she left the international game later that year, in November, as the only goalkeeper to record a shutout in both a World Cup final and an Olympic gold medal match.

Her club career spanned Boston, Germany and Chicago. She played for the Boston Breakers in Women's Professional Soccer and in the NWSL's early seasons, featured for Germany's Turbine Potsdam from 2011 to 2013, and joined Chicago in the fall of 2015, months after she was part of the goalkeeping group that won the World Cup. In Chicago she became the longest-tenured player in club history and captain of the team now known as Chicago Stars FC, and she recorded a 485-minute scoreless streak that set a league record at the time.S1S2

Naeher said the decision was not easy but that, after prayer and reflection, the time was right. She credited Chicago with becoming her home away from home over the last 11 years and thanked the coaches, the organization and the fans. Stars President Karen Leetzow called her the greatest goalkeeper of all time to play in the city and said she had never wavered as a leader.S1S2

Internationally, Naeher spent years as a backup behind Hope Solo before rising to the starting role for the U.S. women's national team in 2016. She helped the U.S. win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal, was the starter in the bronze medal tournament at Tokyo in 2020, and was named U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2024.S2