It is 11.30pm at Bingoal Stadium in the Netherlands and Lynn Williams is crying.
The U.S. women’s national team forward will see her teammate Alyssa Naeher in four days. After all, the 36-year-old goalkeeper is invited to her wedding.
But that is not the point.
Rather, following the USWNT’s 2-1 friendly win against the Netherlands, Williams has tears in her eyes as she speaks about Naeher. And Naomi Girma, fresh off extending the USWNT’s unbeaten run under head coach Emma Hayes to 15 matches (13 wins, two draws), is speaking about hugs and not wanting to let go. When she’s done, the centre-back releases an earnest round of applause for Naeher as the stalwart wraps up her final piece of USWNT media duty for the night and, potentially, ever.
Naeher does not bow. She shoots Girma a wry but familial glance and nods towards the mixed zone’s exit. Despite the thick fog of emotions permeating the air and the knowledge that this friendly is meant to be a finale, not just for the U.S. year, Naeher is still Naeher. She is still in her No. 1 goalkeeper shirt and full kit because “the showers are better at the hotel”.
She carries the match ball — signed by her teammates at her request — under her arm as if she is organising a pick-up game in the parking lot, rather than about to walk onto the USA team bus after a representative match for the last time on the international stage.
In a match that focused on the future, revolving around Lily Yohannes and the global tug of war for her signature, there was something appropriate about the 90 minutes unfurling instead like an ode to one of the team’s longest-serving players.
On a cold, wet night in Den Haag, Naeher went full vintage, producing a showreel of classic cuts.
There was no clean sheet on her 115th and final cap, with Netherlands debutante Veerle Buurman heading a goal home just after the quarter-hour mark to give the hosts a deserved lead. The next 15 minutes were such a show of dominance that the home crowd broke into a Mexican wave. But an argument stands that, without jeopardy, it would hardly have been a proper send-off for a player like Naeher.
The two-time World Cup winner has always straddled this space exquisitely, showing up when needed to keep the team within touching distance of winning. Naturally, here she was again, smudging the margins, denying Andries Jonker’s side a larger lead despite their 15 shots at goal before half-time, allowing for a fortunate Buurnam own goal and second-half U.S. substitutes to decide the game.
“You want to be able to contribute and help the team win, and I was just glad I was able to do that,” Naeher tells The Athletic after the match. “I’m just happy to come out of here with a win. To finish, not just for my last game… but for this team to finish the year that we’ve had on a high and to get the win was great.”
Before kick-off Naeher was honoured by the Dutch FA for her final appearance. The Bingoal Stadium announcer read aloud her various laurels and accolades. On his final note, a mostly-orange clad stadium rose in applause.
“I’d been given a heads-up that something was going to happen ahead of time, but I think that’s one of the beautiful things about this game — the mutual respect from country to country,” Naeher says. “We compete hard, but we respect and know each other as opponents. So that was very thoughtful of them, and it means a lot.”
The applause from the stands also spoke to Naeher’s legacy, both within the confines of the U.S. and, critically, outside.
“She’s the best,” Girma tells The Athletic. “She’s created some incredible moments and her legacy as a goalkeeper is going to be second to none. She has made saves in the biggest moments even today.
“What I’ll remember (about) her as teammates off the field is just how much of a humble leader she is, how she always puts the team in front of her, and how she has been the center of this team for so many years.”
The center of the USWNT is shifting. Hayes’ second-half substitutions showcased that, with Yohannes, Hal Hershfelt and Ally Sentnor getting minutes and Yazmeen Ryan and Alyssa Thompson continuing to impress.
The arrival of Yohannes — marking her first USWNT cap since formally declaring her intention to play for the team instead of the Netherlands — was particularly intriguing. Her initial substitution received warm applause and then, in the final minutes, every touch inspired a guttural chorus of boos. But then Naeher would make a save or intervention and these things would be forgotten.
In a match with 22 shots, Naeher made six big saves, of varying degrees of difficulty, as if undertaking a secret goalkeeping examination. The result: Naeher is still world-class. She still has that dog in her. That she is stepping off the international stage now, still seemingly unflappable, begs the question of who will replace her. But the question does not plague Naeher.
“I’m excited to see what they can do and how that competition continues to go,” she says. “There’s a great pool of young goalkeepers that are going to be able to compete with each other and get on the field and everything else. I’m really excited to see that next generation of great goalkeepers, but also the team as a whole. I’m their number one fan.”
For a player who has epitomised the USWNT’s unwavering competitive edge, the last few months of Naeher’s career have made public a different side.
It is why Girma held on long and hard in her final-whistle-of-a-win hug.
“I was like, I’m not letting you go,” Girma says. “I’m very, very sad. I’m very happy for her, but she’s a legend. She’s so good. For me in the back, I always feel so secure with her behind me. But also, as a person. She’s sarcastic, she’s funny. That’s her front. And then you just got to get beneath it. … Yeah, I’m going to miss her so much.”
Naeher’s ponytail is still messy as she speaks in the mixed zone. Under her arm, the signatures of her teammates on the match ball’s skin gleam in the cameras’ lights.
“They were very nice to let me have it,” Naeher says, looking down, allowing a small smile to spread across her face. “I asked the team to sign it. One of the keepsakes. I have quite a few. I keep the big stuff. This is a big thing.”
(Top photo: Brad Smith / Getty Images)
