Naeher keeps calm, helps U.S. move on
LYON, France — Alyssa Naeher finally escaped Hope Solo’s shadow with her smothering save of a penalty kick.
Endlessly compared to her controversial predecessor on the United States national women’s soccer team, Naeher cemented her own legacy when she preserved Tuesday’s 2-1 semifinal win over England. It was the first-ever penalty save by a U.S. goalkeeper in regulation time of a Women’s World Cup match.
“Oh my God, Alyssa played absolutely out of her mind, but that is what she does day in and day out,” U.S. defender Kelley O’Hara said. “I’m proud the world finally got to see that. She proved she’s the best in the world, surely.”
Naeher has been peppered with questions about Solo since the run-up to this edition of the quadrennial tournament. She’s been gracious about answering each and every time — even immediately after the win against England.
“I don’t get wrapped up in the comparisons. I’ve said from the beginning that I just try to be me. My goal every day is just being a better person, better player than I was yesterday,” she said. “It’s not about comparisons, it’s ‘How can I help this team win now in 2019? How can I help this team win a gold medal?’ That’s my only focus.”
It’s been this way since Naeher emerged as the presumptive starter after Solo’s dismissal from the team.
Solo made 202 appearances with the national team, with 153 wins and an international-record 102 shutouts. During the 2015 Women’s World Cup title run, she allowed just three goals in seven games with five shutouts. She won two consecutive Golden Glove awards for best goalkeeper at the tournament.
She also created controversy, and her contract with the team was ultimately terminated after she infamously called Sweden “cowards” for bunkering on defense in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympics.
Naeher assumed Solo’s role in the ensuing years, but some criticized U.S. Soccer for relying too heavily on Solo without developing a strong successor.
Naeher has shut out the naysayers by humbly doing her job. Known for being soft-spoken and unshakable, she does crosswords to relax on game days. She made her debut with the senior national team in 2014 and now has 52 international appearances with 28 shutouts.
She was solid from the start in France. The United States did not concede a goal in the group stage for the first time at a Women’s World Cup. Indeed, until Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso scored on the Americans in an opening-round match in the knockout phase, the U.S. women had not allowed a goal since an April friendly against Australia.
Naeher’s defining moment, though, came in the 84th minute against England on Tuesday night.
With the United States clinging to its 2-1 lead late in the game, a video review determined Becky Sauerbrunn had fouled England’s Ellen White in the penalty area. Naeher was there to envelope England captain Steph Houghton’s ensuing penalty kick, helping ensure the top-ranked Americans would move on to Sunday’s championship game in Lyon and preserve their quest for a fourth title.
They’ll take on the Netherlands, which is ranked No. 8 and beat Sweden 1-0 in extra time in a semifinal Wednesday.
“I don’t really remember, to be honest,” Naeher said about the save. “You just try to stay focused. Take a few deep breaths, focus in. I just tried to let instincts take over at that point. Tried to get a jump on it, tried to make a good read, hoped to make a save. And I did it.”
Naeher’s twin sister Amanda and parents celebrated wildly in the seats at Stade de Lyon, while on the field Naeher urged her teammates to focus for the final minutes — calm and steady even on her biggest night on the sport’s biggest stage.
“To come up big in that moment, for her personally, but also for the team, it’s massive,” forward Megan Rapinoe said. “It can’t be overstated.”
‘Deeply American’
Still facing a backlash over saying she wouldn’t visit the White House if the United States wins the Women’s World Cup, Rapinoe said Wednesday that she considers herself a proud American.
“I think that I’m particularly, uniquely and very deeply American,” she said. “If we want to talk about the ideals that we stand for, the song and the anthem, and what we were founded on, I think I’m extremely American.”
Rapinoe did not play in the semifinal win against England because of a minor hamstring injury, but the 33-year-old said she’d be ready to go for Sunday’s final.
Last week, a video surfaced of Rapinoe’s White House comment, which she punctuated with an expletive. While the interview was from January, it attracted President Donald Trump’s attention and he took to Twitter to criticize her.
Rapinoe has stood by her statement, except for the coarse language she used.
Two years ago, Rapinoe kneeled during the national anthem before a few matches. She said she took the action in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, who while still a quarterback for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers knelt during the anthem to call attention to racial inequality.
U.S. Soccer responded by ruling that its players must stand for anthems. In France, Rapinoe has not sung the anthem or put her hand on her heart while it plays before each game.
“I think for the detractors, I would have them look hard into what I’m actually saying and the actions that I’m taking. Maybe you don’t agree with every single way that I do it and that can be discussed. I know I’m not perfect,” she said.
In her impassioned comments, she said she believes she stands for truth and honesty, and “wanting to have the conversation.”
“I feel very fortunate to be in this country, I’d never be able to do this in a lot of other places,” she said. “But also, that doesn’t mean that we can’t get better, it doesn’t mean that we can’t strive to be better. I think this country was founded on a lot of great ideals, but it was also founded on slavery. I think we just need to be really honest about that, and be really open in talking about that so we can reconcile that and hopefully move forward and make this make country better for everyone.”