BANNOCKBURN, IL — Alyssa Naeher, the Chicago Stars captain whose saves helped deliver World Cup titles and Olympic gold for the United States, announced her retirement from professional soccer Friday, ending an 11-season run with Chicago.
Naeher leaves as the club's career regular-season leader in appearances, starts, minutes played, saves and shutouts. Her retirement follows Chicago's Nov. 1 season finale and comes as the Stars prepare for a new chapter that includes a planned performance center in Bannockburn.
"The decision to retire is never an easy one, but after a lot of prayer and reflection, I feel like it is the right time," Naeher said in the club's announcement.
"When I got traded from Boston to Chicago at the end of 2015, I felt like my world got turned upside down, but Chicago very quickly became my home away from home."
A Chicago Fixture
Acquired from the Boston Breakers in November 2015, Naeher joined Chicago ahead of the 2016 season and remained through the club's transition from the Red Stars to Chicago Stars FC.
She made 179 regular-season appearances for Chicago, all starts, recording 558 saves, 62 goalkeeper wins and 45 shutouts, according to the club.
Naeher started Chicago's first NWSL Championship appearance in 2019 and helped the team reach the inaugural Challenge Cup final in 2020. She also was part of the 2021 championship finalist squad, although an Olympic injury kept her out of that postseason.
"There are no words to truly encapsulate what Alyssa has meant to the Chicago Stars," club President Karen Leetzow said in the announcement. "She has lived through the greatest achievements and most trying moments in our history, and she has never wavered as a leader."
One of Naeher's most memorable Chicago moments came outside her own penalty area. On Aug. 18, 2025, she scored deep into stoppage time to complete a three-goal comeback in a 3-3 draw against Seattle Reign FC.
That same night, she became the first goalkeeper to reach 200 NWSL regular-season appearances.
She finishes her NWSL career with 224 regular-season appearances, 765 saves and 50 shutouts, according to the Stars.
World Cup And Olympic Champion
Naeher previously retired from the U.S. Women's National Team in December 2024, concluding an international career that included World Cup championships in 2015 and 2019, Olympic bronze in Tokyo and Olympic gold in Paris.
As the starting goalkeeper at the 2019 World Cup, she preserved a semifinal victory over England with a late penalty save before shutting out the Netherlands in the final.
At the 2024 Olympics, she recorded shutouts in all three knockout-round matches. Chicago teammate Mallory Swanson scored the winning goal in the 1-0 final against Brazil.
Naeher finished with 115 international appearances and earned both the 2024 Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award and U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year honors.
Stars Prepare For 2027
Her departure adds another significant change for Chicago following a season that ended with a 5-23-2 record and last place in the 16-team NWSL.
The Stars have acquired Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji from Bay FC as Chief Soccer Officer Vlatko Andonovski reshapes the roster. Chicago also plans to continue playing home matches at Northwestern University's Martin Stadium in 2027.
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