Former U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper, two-time World Cup winner and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Alyssa Naeher is the 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, U.S. Soccer announced Saturday. Naeher, who retired from international soccer in November, earned the award by winning a vote amongst national team coaches, national team players, U.S. Soccer board members, U.S. Soccer Athletes’ Council, NWSL head coaches, fans and select media members and administrators.
The title bookends an illustrious run with the USWNT that also includes winning the Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper in 2024 and being named to the Best FIFA Women’s 11. Naeher is only the second goalkeeper to win U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in its 40 year history.
“This is an incredible honor, to cap off what has been a very special year with this team,” Naeher said. “This team is made up of a special group of players, coaches and staff and all year you could feel that energy and that we had the opportunity to achieve something great. I was inspired all year long by my incredible teammates; the work we put in, the commitment to the team and our goals, and all of their love and support.”
Naomi Girma, the 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, surprised Naeher with the news of her win by tricking the goalkeeper into believing she was the presenter of the award rather than the recipient.
“While it might be considered an individual award, this doesn’t happen if you don’t have incredible defenders in front of you and other attacking players that score goals and allow us to do our job in the back,” Naeher said after recovering from the shock of Girma’s surprise. “To be able to contribute and to help put this team onto a podium at the end of my career and the end of my last year is something that I will hold onto and remember for such a memorable year, and to now walk away with that, I’m so excited for the future of the team. I think it’s in great hands. I think I’m going to be No. 1 fan going forward, and I probably couldn’t have written a better script for our last year.”
It’s not often you can take Alyssa Naeher by surprise. pic.twitter.com/AtkXC5FHiv
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) January 18, 2025
Naeher, 36, concluded her international career with 115 caps and 69 shutouts. She played every minute of the Paris Games and kept a clean sheet versus Brazil in the gold medal game, becoming the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to record shutouts in a World Cup Final and an Olympic Final. She compiled a lengthy highlight reel since her debut in December 2014, but a kick save versus Germany in the Olympic semifinal to send the U.S. to the gold medal match stands out as the play of a legend.
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Known for her clutch saves and stoicism on the field, Naeher was also a mix of a mentor and a handyman for her teammates, earning her the nickname “Uncle.” During the Olympics, her teammates succeed in pulling her into their hugs, celebrations and even a group TikTok.
Though Naeher’s time with the national team is over, she re-signed with the Chicago Stars Football Club in September to play through the 2025 season, which will be her 10th season with the team.
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U.S. Soccer also recognized Ally Sentnor as the recipient of the Young Female Player of the Year award. Sentnor, 20, was called up for the USWNT’s final two matches of the 2024 schedule and played in both games against England and the Netherlands. She was also the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft and a nominee for the league’s Rookie of the Year after notching three goals and four assists for the Utah Royals.
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(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
