Alyssa Naeher, one of the greatest goalkeepers in U.S. and world history, joins the U.S. Soccer Podcast for the first of a two-episode interview.
The legendary USWNT goalkeeper sits down with friend, host and former teammate Meghan Klingenberg (2:35). The two have known each other since they were 12 years old and reminisce on some of their favorite memories growing up together playing soccer, including the confident letter they penned asking FIFA to implement a U-17 Women’s World Cup (13:00).
Naeher goes into further details about her career and her position, including what first drew her to the controlled chaos of goalkeeping (17:00). She delves into some of the lesser-known moments of her career, including being drafted to the Boston Breakers in the WPS (37:00) and what she learned serving as a backup goalkeeper in the USWNT’s run to FIFA 2015 World Cup champions (43:20).
Naeher also talks about growing up a coach’s kid in Connecticut, where she will be honored before the upcoming U.S. Women’s National Team match against Portugal on Sunday, Oct. 26 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Kling and David Gass close out the episode with their reaction to U.S. Soccer’s official bid to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup (53:00). Then, they answer fan questions on our weekly segment Ask the Pros presented by O’Reilly’s (56:40).
Hosts: Meghan Klingenberg, David Gass
Guest: Alyssa Naeher
Producer: Matthew Nelson
To learn more, visit ussoccer.org/podcast
The U.S. Soccer Podcast is a production from U.S. Soccer hosted by David Gass, Meghan Klingenberg and Alejandro Bedoya. The podcast tells stories in service to soccer and the people who live it, amplifying player voices and the stories behind the game. Episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays.