The USWNT’s unsung Olympic heroes: Brick-wall Alyssa Naeher and a historically good defense

PARIS — They spilled out onto the Parc des Princes pitch, euphoric, golden, and for most of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Olympic celebrations had to begin with one woman.

It wasn’t Mallory Swanson, who’d completed her comeback from injury with the only goal of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Brazil.

It wasn’t Trinity Rodman, the hero of the quarterfinals; nor Sophia Smith, the winner of the semis; nor captain Lindsey Horan.

It was the quietest, simplest and oldest member of the youthful team that won Olympic gold medals here on a glorious Parisian evening: Alyssa Naeher.

It was Naeher, in part, because it is often Naeher, a late-blooming, crossword puzzle-loving goalkeeper who hardly got a shot to play for the USWNT until her 30s. She’s the beloved elder of the group.

But it was Naeher, mostly, because she was heroic again for the second time in five days.

“As soon as the whistle blew,” defender Naomi Girma recalled, “I was like, my last sprint of the tournament is to give Alyssa a hug.”

Naeher was the primary reason the USWNT accomplished something that no women’s soccer team ever had: The Americans survived 330 minutes of knockout Olympic soccer without conceding a single goal.

They survived because Naeher made 12 saves in 1-0 wins over Japan, Germany and Brazil. They were blown away by her point-blank kick save in the 119th minute of the semifinal. “I don’t even know how she did that,” forward Sophia Smith said.

Four days later, she followed it up with an outstretched arm and a strong palm in the fourth minute of stoppage time to preserve a third straight clean sheet.

“Every time, I’m just amazed, and shocked,” defender Emily Fox told Yahoo Sports.

Fox and her teammates are constantly amazed because Naeher is constantly clutch. Even in one of her lowest moments, last year’s penalty shootout loss to Sweden at the Women’s World Cup, she was a millimeter or two away from saving the USWNT. Several months later, she almost single-handedly won two straight shootouts by saving multiple penalties and converting a couple herself.

“Time and time again,” Fox said, “she comes up and helps us during big moments.”

So much so that the heroics have begun to feel … normal.

“Everyone [on the] outside looking in is, like, so shocked that she’s always coming up big,” defender Crystal Dunn said. “I’m like, no, Lyss does this in training, every day of the week. And to do it in games — I’m just like, yeah, she’s doing that in training the day before.”

Her brilliance has a cascading effect on defenders in front of her as well. Girma spoke about “the confidence she gives me, playing in front of her.”

Fox agreed: “She’s a big confidence booster. And I feel like after that [94th-minute] save, we were able to get everything under control.”

Those defenders, of course, were part of the USWNT’s impenetrability. Fox came through with a key header at the back post late in the first half, during a Brazilian barrage. Girma was nearly flawless all tournament.

“Look, she’s the best defender I’ve ever seen,” head coach Emma Hayes said of Girma. “Ever.”

Together, they became the first team to run through the knockout rounds of the women’s Olympic tournament completely unscathed. At the Women’s World Cup, only one team has done it — 2007 Germany — and none of those games went to extra time.

This was a historic effort that, in many ways, has been overshadowed by the front three whose goals won the three do-or-die games.

But their rock, their brick wall, their most consistent player, was all the way at the other end of the field.

“She’s amazing,” Dunn said of Naeher. “She’s the anchor to this team.” And perhaps the most valuable player of Paris 2024.