Podcast Summary: BFFR with Sydney Leroux & Ali Riley

Episode: Alyssa Naeher on USWNT Retirement, World Cup Pressure, Penalty Shootouts & Her First NWSL Goal

Release Date: December 8, 2025
Hosts: Sydney Leroux & Ali Riley
Guest: Alyssa Naeher

Overview

This episode of BFFR features legendary US Women’s National Team (USWNT) goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. In a candid and warm conversation with hosts Sydney Leroux and Ali Riley, Alyssa reflects on her recent USWNT retirement, shares her perspectives on World Cup pressure, discusses the uniqueness of penalty shootouts, and relives the chaos of her first NWSL goal. The episode is filled with laughter, professional insights, and touches of nostalgia as they explore the highs, lows, and quirky moments of life on and off the soccer field.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Icing” Prank and Championship Weekend Stories

• Recap of a Prank: The episode begins with Ali describing pranking Alyssa by “icing” her (placing Smirnoff Ice in a fake “lifetime achievement award” box at a red carpet event), leading to funny stories about team culture and pranks.
  • “Did you just ice me?” (Alyssa, 00:27)
  • Alyssa played along and says “I forgot how gross they are, though. If I’m being honest, I cannot say that it went down smoothly.” (01:46)
• Championship Weekend Vibes: Discussion shifts to the NWSL championship weekend — its evolution from a simple event into a reunion for current and retired players, and a hub for player podcasts and camaraderie.
  • “It’s kind of like we’re making lemonade out of lemons… Kristen told me, ‘We're trying to make this… an alumni event as well, where so many former players that it’s like a reunion of sorts’.” (Alyssa, 08:07)

2. Retirement, Humility, and Reflections on Legacy

• Alyssa's Reluctance and Gratitude: Alyssa admits to being humble to a fault and generally shying away from spotlights—even at her retirement ceremony.
  • “I did fight it for a little bit. Didn’t want to do it. I heard it gets so awkward… But it ended up being… very special for me to hear that I’ve been able to have a positive impact.” (Alyssa, 14:01)
• Impact Beyond the Field: Alyssa emphasizes she wants to be remembered more for how she treats people rather than her career achievements.
  • “People will tell you all the time… They’ll remember how you treat them. They’ll remember who you are as a person.” (Alyssa, 13:58)
• Support System: She describes how important friends, family, and former teammates were in making her retirement memorable (15:35).

3. Transition from National Team to Focusing on Club

• New Perspective After USWNT Retirement: Alyssa discusses the shift from balancing national team stress to focusing solely on her club, Chicago Red Stars, especially during a turbulent year with four coaching changes.
  • “There’s always, like, it counts twice… it’s a lot of stress or added stress that comes with that…” (Alyssa, 17:40)
  • “I didn’t even really have that much extra free time… There was just so much happening… maybe a blessing in disguise as well, of giving that much more of my energy to Chicago.” (Alyssa, 19:00)
• Looking Forward: Alyssa is currently in an “evaluation period” regarding her physical and mental state, considering what she wants from her future in Chicago and professional soccer in 2026.
  • “You send the car into the body shop… Can they give it back, or are they like, it’s totaled?” (Alyssa, 20:20)

4. The Culture and Community of Chicago & League Expansion

• Why Chicago?: Despite changes, Alyssa's affection for the city and the Red Stars’ “great group of people” are what keep her there.
• Boston Returns to NWSL: She speaks enthusiastically about Boston’s forthcoming NWSL team, praising their strong sports culture and history.
  • “Boston should have a team… If they can really tap into that sports culture, that is Boston, it’s going to be an incredible organization, long term.” (Alyssa, 26:30)

5. Stepping Into the Spotlight: Carrying on the Legacy

• Following in Big Shoes: When Alyssa became the USWNT starting goalkeeper in 2019, it marked the first time in two decades someone other than Hope Solo or Briana Scurry started in a World Cup. She opens up about the pressure and how she handled it.
  • “I felt the weight of it. Like, I’d be lying to you if I didn’t admit that… walking out for the first game… my knees were shaking.” (Alyssa, 29:47)
• Mental Strength and Confidence: Alyssa talks about the need for self-belief, staying focused, and relying on preparation:
  • “All I have to do is my job. That is what is asked of me.” (Alyssa, 34:26)
• On Being Overlooked by Critics: She mentions being labeled the “biggest question mark” before the 2019 World Cup, but she turned off outside noise and focused on herself and her team.

6. Penalty Shootouts — Psychology, Preparation, and the Goalkeeper Mindset

• Approach Toward Penalties: Alyssa doesn’t “love” or “hate” shootouts but embraces the challenge, finding a strange peace and even a trance in the moment.
  • “It’s a blackout moment… you kind of snap back, like, we good? Did we win?” (Alyssa, 37:05)
• Preparation: She memorizes opponent tendencies (“I memorized everything… that was funny, people would look at me… I was going back through all the videos and the, you know, playing percentages…” (Alyssa, 38:05)), preferring internalization over written cues to stay in the moment.
• Mind Games: Discusses the psychology of penalties, the strategic cat-and-mouse: “It’s such a mind game at this point… He knows that I know that she knows that I’m going here…” (Alyssa, 39:27)

7. The Goalkeeper Union (GKU) and Keeper Culture

• Mutual Respect: Alyssa shares the camaraderie and understanding unique to goalkeepers, the “goalkeeper union.”
  • “At the end of every game, the first person—you’ve got to go find the opposing goalkeeper and just be the first person to shake their hand… There’s such a mutual respect.” (Alyssa, 41:59)
• Role as Training Partners: Goalkeepers are unique in both competing and supporting each other to prepare for matches.

8. Scoring Her First NWSL Goal

• Alyssa’s Legendary Goal: Alyssa narrates the chaos of scoring her first professional goal as a goalkeeper in the NWSL, complete with confusion, disbelief, and a bit of “goal-line insurance kicking.”
  • “It was total chaos…just doing whatever you can to try to, like, find success with it… It kind of bounced and I thought it was already across the line, but I was like, you know what, I’m just gonna kick it for good measure.” (Alyssa, 46:56)
  • “We didn’t know until we were in the huddle and our media guy came down… that they looked back on the film and I got the goal.” (Alyssa, 48:13)

9. Off-Field: Twin Life and Gifting Traditions

• Best Gift Ever Segment: Alyssa shares stories of being a twin and how family gift giving worked growing up, joking about the day when car tires became the most prized present of adulthood.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Did you just ice me?” — Alyssa, on the red carpet prank (00:27)
• “People will tell you all the time… They’ll remember how you treat them. They’ll remember who you are as a person.” — Alyssa (13:58)
• “I felt the weight of it… walking out for the first game… my knees were shaking.” — Alyssa (29:47)
• “All I have to do is my job. That is what is asked of me.” — Alyssa (34:26)
• “I memorized everything… that way I didn’t have to break that [trance] to be worrying about… Where’s my thing?” — Alyssa on shootout prep (38:05)
• “It was total chaos…just doing whatever you can to try to, like, find success with it.” — Alyssa on her NWSL goal (46:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The “Icing” Prank Story: 00:00–07:10
• Championship Weekend Reflections: 07:33–11:59
• Retirement, Humility, and Legacy: 11:45–15:53
• Post-National Team Life & Club Focus: 15:53–23:42
• Chicago, Boston, and Club Culture: 23:42–27:12
• Stepping Into the Starting USWNT Role: 27:12–35:07
• Penalty Shootouts, Preparation & Psychology: 35:58–41:02
• Goalkeeper Union & Keeper Culture: 41:02–45:28
• Scoring Her First NWSL Goal: 45:29–49:20
• Best Gift Ever & Twin Stories: 49:20–52:10

Overall Tone & Style

The conversation is lively, supportive, funny, and filled with the unique mix of chaos and depth that defines BFFR. Alyssa’s humility, professionalism, and dry humor shine as she responds with honesty and reflection on both her achievements and her anxieties. Hosts Sydney and Ali keep the atmosphere friendly and relatable while also digging for meaningful insight.

For anyone who missed the episode, this summary covers Alyssa Naeher’s reflective and revealing look at her playing career, what it means to be a team player and a top-tier goalkeeper, and why even legends sometimes wish for more peace in the chaos.