BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Alyssa Naeher will be back defending the U.S. goal at the 2023 Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia this summer.
The 35-year-old Bridgeport native was selected for the third time to represent the red, white and blue at the biggest stage for women’s soccer. The roster was announced Wednesday.
Naeher was on the 23-player roster for the U.S. at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup as a backup to Hope Solo but did not play a minute in goal.
After the U.S. crashed out of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Naeher became the team’s No. 1 goalie, taking over the spot that had been held by Solo for years. At the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France – Naeher’s second tournament and first as the No. 1 goalie – it was the first time in more than two decades that neither Solo nor Briana Curry was in goal for the U.S. at a Women’s World Cup.
During the tournament, she recorded three consecutive shutouts in group stages over Thailand, Chile, and Sweden. In the knockout round against France, Naeher made four saves to help the team win 2-1 over the host nation.
In the semifinals against England, she made three saves and stopped Steph Houghton’s penalty kick in the 83rd minute to help the U.S. win 2-1.
In the final, Naeher posted one save in the 2-0 win over Netherlands. She played every minute of the United States 2019 World Cup run.
Currently, Naeher plays club soccer for NWSL's Chicago Red Starts.
The United States will be playing for an unprecedented three-peat at the Women's World Cup this summer. It won't be easy for the world's No. 1 team.
Co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, the quadrennial tournament for international soccer's most coveted trophy kicks off July 20 and features an expanded field of 32 teams, up from 24. There are 64 total matches during the tournament.
Fox will broadcast a record 29 matches over the air on its main network and the rest of the games will be aired on FS1. All matches will be streamed on the Fox app.
The broadcast schedule is complicated by the time difference. The United States is playing in Group E with Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal. The opening match is against Vietnam on July 22 in Auckland, which, because of the time difference, will air in the U.S. on July 21 at 9 p.m. ET.
A rematch of the 2019 final against the Netherlands is set for July 27 in Wellington, airing at 9 p.m. ET on July 26 in the U.S. The last group game against Portugal is set for Aug. 1, airing at 3 a.m. ET that same day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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