Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer’s 2024 Female Player of the Year

Chicago Stars FC and former U.S. Soccer goalkeeper, Alyssa Naeher, has been named the federations 2024 Female Player of the Year. This is the first U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year award for Naeher who retired from international play at the end of 2024. 

“This is an incredible honor, to cap off what has been a very special year with this team. 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,” said Naeher.  

Over its 40-year history, the Female Player of the Year award is usually awarded to attacking-minded midfielders or forwards. Naeher is just the second goalkeeper to win the award behind Hope Solo, who Naeher replaced as the team’s first option between the sticks. Julie Ertz (2017, 2019) and Naomi Girma (2023) are the only other defensive players to take home the award.  

Naeher’s decorated international career now includes being named The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year for 2024, to the Best FIFA Women’s 11 (2024), an Olympic gold medal (Paris 2024), an Olympic bronze medal (Tokyo 2020) and two FIFA Women’s World Cup Championships (2019, 2015).  

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Naeher played every minute, allowing just two goals and kept clean sheets throughout the knockout round, including in the gold medal match against Brazil. With her performance in the Olympics final, Naeher is now the only goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup and Olympics final.  

Earlier in 2024, during the team’s semifinal match in the CONCACAF W Gold Cup against Canada that eventually went to penalties, Naeher made two crucial saves before stepping up to the spot and burying a penalty attempt past Canada’s Kailen Sheridan. The US advanced to the championship match after Naeher saved her third penalty of the shootout against Canada’s captain, Jessie Flemming. 

Naeher – who also was nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award – ended 2024 with 18 starts, 1,170 minutes played, a 13W-1L-3D record and a 0.50 GAA while allowing just 11 goals for U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT). 

This summer, in an appearance on Premier League Mornings Live, legendary U.S. Soccer goalkeeper, Tim Howard, echoed the sentiments of many USWNT and Chicago Stars fans when he called Naeher “the greatest goalkeeper in the world, hands down.” 

The Chicago Stars would like to congratulate Alyssa on an incredible 2024, on her well-deserved award and on her legendary international career. The club looks forward to welcoming Alyssa back to Chicago ahead of the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League season.

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