It really was Alyssa Naeher's night in every sense of the word. Making her final U.S. women's national team appearance, the legendary U.S. goalkeeper offered one more look at why she'll go down as one of this team's greats. There was no drop-off and no time for nostalgia - this was vintage Naeher, and the USWNT won because of it.
Naeher made multiple colossal saves throughout Tuesday's struggle-fest against Netherlands, helping preserve a 2-1 win that sent her out on a deserving high note. It was exactly the type of performance that the USWNT has expected from Naeher throughout her legendary career, and it was exactly the type of performance the USWNT needed to escape with a victory that they arguably didn't deserve.
The Netherlands were dominant throughout the first half, even aside from Veerle Buurman's 15th-minute goal. The hosts fired multiple shots at Naeher, but she was game for all of them, keeping her side in it. It ultimately paid off just before the half, when - ironically - it was Buurman's unfortunate own goal that sent the two teams into the half level.
Several subs from Emma Hayes corrected the USWNT's first-half deficiencies, and even though they were out-shot by the Netherlands 23-5, one of those subs ultimately scored the winner. Played in by Yazmeen Ryan, Lynn Williams' goal in the 71st minute sent the USWNT home with yet another win - the 13th in 15 games that Emma Hayes has been in charge, with zero losses. It also meant the U.S. ended 2024 with a 18-1-4 record overall, and a 20-match unbeaten streak, and an Olympic gold medal.
And more importantly, and poignantly, it rounded off Naeher's career with a yet another celebratory moment.
She wore the captain's armband in her 115th international appearance, a stretch that goes back to her debut on Dec. 18, 2014, against Argentina. Naeher is two-time World Cup winner (2015 and 2019) and an Olympic gold medalist, with shutouts in the finals of both the 2019 World Cup and the Paris Games final this summer.
This was a USWNT win, but it was, and was always going to be, Naeher's night. She made sure of it herself with another huge game, one that served as one final reminder of how hard she'll be to replace as she moves on.
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