Who Will Succeed Naeher In The Net?

It’s time to announce/review the pantheon of U.S. women’s national team goalkeepers who have backstopped the side to world championships and gold medals:

Let’s start with Mary Harvey, who played a big role in helping the Americans to secure the very first Women’s World Cup crown in 1991.

Let’s continue with Briana Scurry, who guarded the net as the USA won the first women’s gold medal in Olympic soccer in 1996 and then for the team’s second world championship in 1999.

Hope Solo picked up the mantle, mining Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012 and a Women’s World Cup medal in 2015.

And most recently, Alyssa Naeher performed her heroics en route to the 2019 Women’s World Cup championship and to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Which brings us to one of the burning questions for the current USWNT:

Just who will follow in their footsteps for the next five or perhaps 10 years?

Will it be Jane Campbell, Mandy McGlynn or Phallon Tullis-Joyce?

Your guess could be as good as anyone’s, including USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, who is searching for someone to join those good hands people to replace Naeher, who retired from international soccer last year.

“I think for all the goalkeepers competing, they have to demonstrate they can make the important decisions under pressure on both sides of the ball,” Hayes said after the SheBelieves Cup. “Of course, the qualities unique to play in goal for this team means that more often than not you’ve got to be absolutely ready to make a significant, big save in every game. You’ve got to be good with your decision making and execution in the deepest spaces to help the team progress up the pitch.”

The trio was called up for a pair of matches against Brazil earlier this month. Before the first game, they had combined for a dozen international appearances. Campbell had 10 matches under her belt, McGlynn two and Tullis-Joyce, none.

Instead of playing the “veteran,” Hayes did not hesitate throwing Tullis-Joyce and McGlynn into the deep end of the pool against one of the world’s best women’s sides.

The U.S. women split those games. Since those were friendlies, they weren’t the end of the world because it was an inexperienced squad. Hayes is playing the long game. She is more concerned about forging a team that can compete for and win the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

After the two games, neither player established herself as the No. 1 netminder. Hayes praised and criticized both keepers.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Tullis-Joyce, 28, backstops Manchester United in the Women’s Super League in England.

After the 2-0 win over the South Americans in Inglewood, Calif. on April 5, this was Hayes’ assessment of Tullis-Joyce:

“What more did you want as a goalkeeper than a clean sheet. In terms of keeping the ball out of the back of the net, that’s a super strength for her. I thought everything from set pieces and crosses, she did a tremendous job.”

But Hayes cautioned that Tullis-Joyce needed to work on several things, including ball distribution from the back. With United she tends to boot the ball up field, in contrast to the show building of the national side.

“There’s work to do to ensure that we don’t just go long all of the time,” Hayes said. “if you want to play a percentage game, then you’re going to go long ball the time. Her next step is something I’ve been clear on. Her team Man United don’t play a lot of buildup. They tend to go from back to front. But her next step is with pressure, being able to make the short passes to come out.

“In her debut I thought she looked authoritative and commanding, but I don’t want to compromise on the things that I think really important to control football matches. So that’s the challenge for her, and she knows that. But really, really pleased with her.”

Mandy McGlynn

Three days later in San Jose, Calif. on April 8, McGlynn and her teammate did not fare as well as the USA dropped a 2-1 decision as the Brazilians scored in stoppage time.

“She doesn’t want to pick the ball out of her net later on, but she made some big saves in the second half, which I think will give her confidence,” Hayes said. “Some of her decision making in the first half, when to play short, when to play long, I think she’s still learning the right triggers for that. She needs to focus on improving.

“Listen, these players are trying. They really want to try and do what we’re asking them to do, but we also try and teach them, but you have to do them in the right moments. And maybe she didn’t get them perfect in the first half, but she didn’t crumble, and she stuck with the game and produced big moments.

“I think it’s been a competitive camp. I think both her and Fallon have had the opportunity to play against a top opponent, just like Jane had the opportunity to play against the top opponent with Japan. And I think it’s fair to say I’m a lot clearer.”

But Hayes wouldn’t say who was in the pole position who play between the poles.

Jane Campbell

Campbell, 30, might have a say or two in that. She is the most experienced member of the group, having made more than 150 appearances for the Houston Dash in the National Women’s Soccer League since 2017. Campbell, who supposedly has been the favorite, backstopped the opening encounter of the SheBelieves Cup, a 2-0 win over Colombia on Feb. 20 and a 2-1 loss to Japan on Feb. 26. McGlynn was in net for the 2-1 win over Australia on Feb. 23.

And there are other possibilities

There’s also 28-year-old Casey Murphy, who has 20 international matches under her belt and was Naeher’s backup at the 2023 Women’s World Cup but has not been called in the team this year, and Angel City FC keeper Angelina Anderson, 24, who is uncapped, but was part of the April camp.

The next time the USWNT will be in action will be at the end of May when the team hosts China PR in St. Paul, Minn. on May 31 before welcoming Jamaica in St. Louis on June 3. The Americans also will welcome the Republic of Ireland in Commerce City, Colo. and Cincinnati on Juen 26, and June 29, respectively. And then there’s archrival Canada in Washington, D.C. on July 2.

We might get a better idea of whom Hayes will want to groom for the Women’s World Cup in two years.

Hopefully, for the USWNT’s sake, it will be sooner rather than later.

The Women’s World Cup might be a little more than two years away, but it’s a lot closer than you think.