USWNT’s Alyssa Naeher was unflappable in Olympic gold medal match

PARIS – Alyssa Naeher might as well change the nickname on her Wikipedia page to “Captain America” or “Secretary of Defense.”  
The USWNT goalkeeper made a game-saving, one-handed stop – like a basketball defender blocking someone at the rim – on a header from Brazil’s Adriana in the fourth minute of stoppage time to preserve the Americans’ 1-0 win in the Olympic gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Games.
Even before that, Naeher was a hero to her younger teammates on a retooled roster that coach Emma Hayes designed with an eye on the future. Except for Naeher, who is now the first goalkeeper in the history of women’s soccer to post a shutout in a FIFA World Cup final and an Olympic final.
“Alyssa has been the best person for Mal, Trin and I,” said Sophia Smith, talking about fellow forwards Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman. “She’s our biggest supporter.”
In turn, the trio – all in their early-to-mid 20s – have helped Naeher open up. Naeher admitted to being more vulnerable, now. They give Naeher hugs. Tell her they love her – even if that might make her uncomfortable.
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“We tell her how much we appreciate her because honestly, we would not be here right now without Alyssa,” Smith said. “And we just wanna remind her that every day because she’s so special.”
And Naeher knows that even at 36 years old, this young trio has brought her out of her “shell.”
“They have truly made me feel part of it. I think that was something that I could feel coming at the end of last year,” Naeher said. “I felt like if I could allow myself to be more vulnerable with that younger group and buy into that, share the experiences I had, have them soak it up … to be embraced by those guys has been really fun for me, honestly. It’s made me feel quite special and part of the group – like I still have something to give to this team as an older player.”
Minutes after Naeher’s save on Adriana, her teammates pounced on her after the referee blew the final whistle, ending more than 10 minutes of stoppage time. Naeher didn’t allow a goal for all 330 minutes — that’s 5.5 hours — the U.S. played during the knockout stage of the tournament.
Against Brazil, Naeher was unflappable all match. 
In stoppage time of the first half, Naeher leapt off her line, skyward and to the right. She pawed at the ball floating toward the back of the net and deflected it to the side, her body crashing down, the hopes of a gold medal still intact. Brazil’s Gabi Portilho had come within inches of breaking a scoreless tie. 
Fellow USWNT veteran Crystal Dunn called Naeher “such an incredible asset.” Everyone watching from the outside might be shocked by the caliber of saves she can make, but the players see it every day during practice.  
“She’s so incredible,” Dunn said. “She’s somebody that we’ve really needed.”
For much of the Paris Olympics tournament, the USWNT’s defense excelled at a level that allowed Naeher to hardly break a sweat. 
That was not the case in the first half against Brazil. The Americans needed their keeper to be at her best in the gold-medal match.
She was. 
“We knew there were going to be storms,” Naeher said.
Naeher played the role of expert forecaster. 
“Just so incredibly proud,” she said of the team’s effort.
Naeher’s first clutch save of the day came in the second minute of the match. Ludmila, who caused problems for the U.S. back line all afternoon, slithered through the defense and fired the match’s first shot on net. But Naeher was there to swallow up the weakly-hit attempt.
And Naeher was there when it mattered most.
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