Mohamed Salah names his four footballing heroes including legendary former team-mate​

United States coach Emma Hayes said retiring veteran Alyssa Naeher leaves the team as the “the greatest goalkeeper” the country has produced after Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Netherlands.

“What I did say to her yesterday, in my opinion, she’s the greatest goalkeeper this country’s ever had, for lots of reasons,” Hayes said about the 36-year-old, who made six saves in her final USWNT match. “Most people don’t really realize what it takes to stay at the top. For her to do it, for the number of years she’s done it, wow.”

Naeher announced last week that the winter friendlies against England and the Netherlands would be the last of her national team career. The veteran, who will continue playing at club level for the Chicago Red Stars, earned a shutout in a 0-0 draw with England before emerging as one of the top performers in Tuesday’s narrow victory against the Dutch.

“I’m going to miss the coffee dates, hanging around the team room, talking. I’m going to miss the competition, playing at the highest level,” Naeher told ESPN after the match. “Obviously, I’m not done done, I’m still playing NWSL. But to have played internationals and World Cups is something I’ll miss, but I’ll miss the people.”

Defender Emily Fox also praised the goalkeeper who has won two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal — and is the only goalie to have shutouts in both a World Cup and Olympic gold medal final.

“Big shout to her, we’re going to miss her so much,” Fox said. “We’re happy we managed to win. I think the first half was rough, but we reorganised, got control of it.”

The USWNT relied on Naeher to stay alive in their latest match in which they were outshot 14 to 1 during the first half. An equalizing own-goal from the Netherlands before half-time allowed the team to eventually fight back with a winner from Lynn Williams in the 71st minute.

“If we’re not going to be our best with the ball, we better be our best without it and I thought we got bullied and harassed. … The Dutch should have been up 2-0 in the first half,” Hayes said. “We’re not sitting here saying we were the better team, you can still win football matches and not be at your best.

“I thought today we demonstrated, by not being at our best both in and out of possession, but finding a way to win, is a sign of a great team.”

Williams, the lone USWNT goal scorer, admitted the result wasn’t the most appealing of performances from the No. 1-ranked FIFA side.

“I wouldn’t say that this was our prettiest game of soccer ever, and sometimes that’s how games go,” the Gotham FC forward said. “The biggest thing was matching their intensity, getting to the second ball, getting to the first ball.”

With the results in hand, the USWNT closed out the year with a 20-game undefeated streak that featured a Gold Cup title, the SheBelieves Cup and an Olympic gold medal.

Hayes, who has never lost as U.S. coach, will lead her team back into action in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup tournament. The Americans will face Colombia, Australia and Japan in the annual tournament that is held in February.

THE HAGUE — Alyssa Naeher‘s final match for the United States women’s national team ended in a 2-1 victory against the Netherlands on Tuesday night. With the victory, Emma Hayes extended her unbeaten run as USWNT coach, as her team delivered Naeher a winning send-off for her 115th and final cap. Lynn Williams scored a 71st-minute winner for the USWNT, but it had to work for its victory against the hosts.

The Dutch dominated the USWNT in the opening half, getting plenty of joy down the right wing, and opened the scoring after 15 minutes through a Veerle Buurman header. Despite mustering only one shot on target in the first half, the USWNT grabbed a fortuitous 44th-minute equaliser through a Buurman own goal. But Hayes’ halftime substitutions swung the balance back in the USWNT’s favor as she introduced Emily Sonnett and Williams.

In Naeher’s final match, we had another glimpse of Lily Yohannes‘ incredible potential. Yohannes, 17, was given her chance in the 66th minute — having declared her allegiance to the USWNT instead of the Netherlands last month — and she played a role in Williams’ winner just five minutes later.

For Hayes, it meant she ended her first year in charge of the USWNT unbeaten in 15 matches, a run that includes 13 wins. That also included the incredible gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August, and on this final two-match tour that saw the U.S. play England and the Netherlands, Hayes tested the team’s depth but still came away with a 0-0 draw against the Lionesses and this 2-1 victory against the Dutch on a bitterly cold night. — Tom Hamilton

Naeher shows what USWNT will miss

When Naeher made her USWNT debut in December 2014 against Argentina, she probably never imagined bringing the curtain down on her remarkable international career on a freezing night, in torrential rain, in the Dutch capital. The Dutch team gave her a bouquet of flowers before the match, recognizing her astonishing record of having been part of two USWNT World Cup-winning sides, indispensable to its 2024 Olympic gold, and also the 2021 bronze to boot. She bids farewell with 69 shutouts, and even reached 17th place in this year’s Ballon D’Or voting.

So it was hardly a case of her leaving through the exit door — and she proved while she’ll be desperately missed after a string of brilliant first-half saves in which she kept her team in the match. The Dutch should’ve been three or four goals up at the break, but Naeher’s shot-stopping and positioning was a key reason why the teams were locked at 1-1.

The best Naeher stops were off Daniëlle van de Donk in either half and as the Dutch peppered the USWNT’s left side, it was her commanding presence that helped keep her opponent at bay. She will be missed. Thoughts of her successor can wait; this was Naeher’s night as the USWNT bid farewell to a legendary goalkeeper. — Hamilton

Hayes cleans up initial tactical mess

As is often the case in the sport, Tuesday’s win was a tale of two halves.

In the first, the USWNT were tactically overwhelmed in a formation that left just Sam Coffey and Korbin Albert to fend for themselves in the heart of the XI. In what often looked like a 4-2-4 going forward, Hayes’ setup was extremely vulnerable to the rapid counters that the Netherlands threw with numbers in support.

With the fortune of Naeher’s performance in net and an own goal from the opposition, the USWNT was then able to regroup in the second half with more of a presence in the midfield. As seen by a total of five substituions made by the 67th minute, Hayes was able to significantly retool her tactics and pack the middle of the pitch, while also going to a back three.

This stifled the Netherlands, and suddenly with more momentum for the U.S., Williams’ winner followed in a resurgent second half.

The blessing that Hayes has is a depth of talent that can clean up situations like these, but if the Netherlands were more clinical in the first half, or if there was no fortuitous own-goal, the lone attempt by Williams would not have been enough on a different night. — Cesar Hernandez

Yohannes makes her mark

It took Yohannes only 10 minutes to make her mark in a USWNT shirt back in June when she scored against South Korea in her debut. But since then, she has been at the center of a very public tug-of-war between the Netherlands and the U.S. for her services.

The U.S. have stayed respectful, letting her have her time and space, while the Dutch mounted a slightly more public charm offensive to get her to opt for the Leeuwinnen. She’s regarded as one of the world’s best young midfielders and, to the delight of Hayes and her teammates, opted for the USWNT.

The Dutch did little to hide their frustration — with Dutch coach Andries Jonker saying it would’ve saved them “a lot of work” had she said from the start she wanted to play for the U.S. And there are few baptisms by fire quite like the one she had Tuesday evening, wearing the white of the U.S. on a patch of grass just 34 miles from where she plays her club football at Ajax.

She got her chance in the 66th minute, as she replaced Lindsay Horan — the future stepping into the shoes of the present, receiving an overall positive welcome from the partisan crowd. And she made her mark just five minutes later, as it was her nicely weighted header that put Yazmeen Ryan into space to cross for Williams to score the team’s second. She received a few boos late on, but this was an assured showing. — Hamilton

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Alyssa Naeher ‘at peace’ with USWNT retirement decision

Alyssa Naeher thanks Emma Hayes for understanding the goalkeeper’s decision to retire from international football with the USWNT.

Netherlands feel Miedema’s absence

The Netherlands are once again facing an international break without Vivianne Miedema. The Manchester City attacker is sidelined by a knee injury, leaving Jonker with a crucial question: Who will step up to score goals for Oranje?

During the last European Championship qualifiers, Miedema scored in one of the two games she played. Lineth Beerensteyn was the only other player to find the net in the qualifiers, scoring three of only four goals in six matches. Historically, the Dutch team has been prolific in front of goal, but without Miedema, the gap is evident. It’s hard to replace a striker who has scored 96 goals in 120 international appearances.

In recent matches against the USWNT, the Netherlands created seven chances but scored only once. Despite shooting seven times in the first half, the Dutch couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities to secure a lead.

Jill Roord is another player to watch for goals. After recovering from an ACL injury, Roord is gradually regaining her form, but she has yet to hit the goal-scoring heights she once did. Despite several good chances against the U.S., Roord was unable to find the back of the net.

The first goal for the Netherlands came from Buurman, who is on loan at PSV Eindhoven from Chelsea. The young attacker was given the opportunity to start against one of the world’s toughest teams. Jonker chose her over captain Sherida Spitse, and Buurman rose to the challenge. She demonstrated her set-piece ability, and her performance showed potential. Perhaps Oranje have found their Virgil van Dijk in Buurman — another future star in the making. — Sjors Grol

Who stepped up for the Dutch without Yohannes?

The Dutch are in the process of rejuvenating their squad, and Yohannes would certainly have added value to this transition. But the midfield is holding up well in her absence. Dutch fans probably noticed the energy around Yohannes’ arrival on the pitch, with cheers ringing out from both Dutch and American supporters.

In a notable decision, Jonker picked Buurman over captain Spitse in the starting lineup. That wasn’t the only change, though –19-year-old Wieke Kaptein was given a chance in midfield. Both players justified Jonker’s faith in them with strong performances against the world’s No. 1 team.

The Dutch team is gearing up for the UEFA Women’s Euro in 2025, with a mix of seasoned stars and rising talents. Kaptein, in particular, impressed with her maturity on the ball and her defensive capabilities. She was often fouled by the Americans, a testament to her growing influence in the game. Playing for Chelsea in recent months has sharpened her defensive game, and she proved she can handle the pressure of facing some of the world’s best players.

Although Buurman scored an unfortunate own goal, she held her ground against the Americans’ top attackers. Dutch fans will be relieved to know that Buurman doesn’t hold dual nationality, ensuring her commitment to the national team. — Grol

Defensive questions on full display for the USWNT

Although most of the early criticism should be pointed towards Hayes’ initial tactical approach, the players themselves should also be scrutinized for the defensive fragilities that were present.

In the midfield, Albert was sometimes left isolated in the starting formation, but that shouldn’t excuse the number of moments in which she looked a step behind during a long list of counters in the first half. Looking at the backline, Jenna Nighswonger didn’t cover herself in glory. As arguably the weak link of the XI, the left back struggled to close down the runs that the Netherlands found themselves with through the midfield.

Possibly rattled by the situation at hand, other defenders such as Emily Fox and Naomi Girma didn’t perform poorly but did look to be slightly off of their game in the early stages.

The good news is that the USWNT was able to fix its problems by bringing out Nighswonger and switched to a back three, but surviving that first wave of pressure meant the team needed a massive performance from Naeher.

But with Naeher no longer in the picture going forward and questions about who is next in line between the sticks, the U.S. might not be able to afford to make the same defensive mistakes going forward. As for Hayes, this also means some additional work with fine-tuning the backline. — Hernandez

Mikel Arteta has challenged Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard to replicate the “unbelievable” chemistry of Barcelona‘s all-time great midfield of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

Ødegaard’s return from an ankle injury has sparked a dramatic upturn in Arsenal‘s form, winning three games in a week and scoring 13 goals with Saka at the heart of their best football.

Only Liverpool‘s Mohamed Salah (18) has more Premier League goal involvements than Saka’s 15 so far this season.

Last season, Ødegaard passed the ball to Saka more times (322) than any other combination of non-defenders aside from Manchester City duo Mateo Kovačić and Rodri and created 40 chances in open play for each other.

Asked if he had ever seen a better understanding between two players, Arteta referenced Barcelona’s legendary trio who played together 182 times, winning 68 per cent of games in addition to winning the World Cup and Euros together with Spain.

“They can be [the best] in this case because they are an attacking midfielder and a winger,” said Arteta of Ødegaard and Saka.

“But I’ve seen centre backs, I’ve seen midfielders between them having … I always think about Barcelona with Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta — it was unbelievable. They didn’t even need to look at each other.

“Our two centre backs — [William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães] — naturally there is a chemistry there that is unbelievable.

“So, try to develop those more and more because there is something there that is very difficult to put a number to it. But it’s close in a natural way and the more relationships you have make the team the better.”

Arsenal midfielder Jorginho said earlier this week that Saka, 23, could be a Ballon d’Or contender if he believes in himself.

Pushed on how the England international had developed in recent years, Arteta continued: “The way he presents himself, the way he talks, the decisions that he makes. He has a massive role in the team. He is the main figure, with two or three players at the club.

“He plays for the national team. He is a very established player right now and he is deciding matches for us. He has earned the right to be that way but at the same time he has stayed so humble, close and charming to everybody.”