Red Stars goalie wins the award for the first time in her career

CHICAGO — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was awarded The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football’s (CONCACAF) Goalkeeper of the Year and named to 2018’s Best XI squad on Tuesday.

This is the first time Naeher has taken home the honors, due in large part to her stellar performances for the United States National Team and Chicago Red Stars last season.

For the U.S. WNT, she was the first-choice goalkeeper for a side that went unbeaten all year. In the CONCACAF Women’s Championship back in October, Naeher started four of the five matches, keeping a clean sheet in every game. In total, she had 15 shutouts for the U.S. WNT last year.

Playing for the Red Stars, Naeher added 7 clean sheets in 23 games played and helped Chicago reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive season. She was named the NWSL Player of the Week for Week 6 after making 11 saves against the North Carolina Courage. Against the Portland Thorns in August, Naher earned her 100th NWSL cap.