Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is returning to her old ways — the ground rules she implements for herself when the Women’s World Cup rolls around, going back to her first in 2015. She wipes her phone of all social media and pretty much leaves it on airplane mode the entire tournament.
Zero distractions.
“After we leave, that’s just it,” Naeher said. “For me, it’s just more of a way to lock in and stay present in the moment. It’s something that I, and all of us, have had to learn . . . is the ability to compartmentalize. We’ve certainly had a lot of practice in that over the years.”
No kidding. The U.S. women’s national team — the two-time defending World Cup champion and ranked No. 1 in the world — has solidified itself as one of soccer’s most accomplished groups while simultaneously fighting for equal pay and navigating multiple abuse scandals within the sport. An ability to compartmentalize seems to be a prerequisite for making the roster.
And that roster has seen its share of change. Fourteen USWNT players will chase the World Cup for the first time in this year’s event, which will be hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug. 20. For four others, it will be their second time. Naeher and Julie Ertz, Naeher’s former Red Stars teammate, are the only two players who will make their third appearance. For Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Kelley O’Hare, this makes four.
Although coach Vlatko Andonovski has expressed nothing but confidence in this team’s ability to win a record third straight title, the group is relatively inexperienced as a result of some staple players being hurt. Captain Becky Sauerbrunn (foot) was ruled out last week, while Sam Mewis, Mal (Pugh) Swanson and Catarina Macario are also sidelined as they recover from knee injuries.
“You hate to see any injury, and we’ve certainly had a few going into this World Cup,” Naeher said. “But Becky, she’s our captain — she’s our leader. It’s going to be a big hole to fill.”
Naeher puts the responsibility on the rest of the veterans to step up and allow their strengths to compensate. She understands that each of her teammates handles the unique pressure of playing for this team differently, and she considers it her responsibility to understand those differences and help provide what each teammate needs — an approach she learned during her first World Cup while backing up Hope Solo.
“It’s about connecting with all of them and understanding: Does this person need a pep talk? Do they need to be left alone? Do they want my unsolicited advice?” Naeher said.
Donning the No. 1 jersey that has been worn by some giants of the sport, she’ll lead the USWNT from the net in its opening match against Vietnam in a month, navigating the pressure in her own way.
“The U.S. has always had a long history of unbreakable keepers,” Naeher said. “I hope to be included on that list.”
