On the field, we often see Alyssa Naeher as a calm player. From penalty shootouts to the Olympic finals, her presence on the pitch is constant. But beneath that composed exterior lies a deep sense of uncertainty Naeher has learned to embrace over the years. In the recent episode of the RE-CAP show, Naeher opened up about her anxiety problems before the matches.

After winning Olympic gold and returning to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Naeher opened up about how she was nervous before playing the league matches. “I just played an Olympic gold medal match two weeks ago like and I’m just as anxious now like going into this,” she shared.

Naeher’s honesty about her anxiety is something many athletes regularly face throughout their careers. Dealing with the weight of mental expectations while trying to perform at the highest level remains crucial. “I just want to win,” she said, explaining how much she loves playing and winning with her team.

What makes Naeher’s stance so powerful is that it applies to almost every athlete. The majority of people face a problem between their wants and the obligations imposed on them. But it also raises a good point about how much we overlook the importance of mental health compared to physical accomplishments in sports.

In the interview, Naeher revealed that she still gets nervous before every game. Big international match, or just another NWSL regular season game, she remains shaky. The nerves have always been there, but with every passing year, she’s learned to channel them into focus. She’s turned her biggest weakness into her greatest strength.

How Alyssa Naeher transforms her anxiety into strength

Despite being an anxious player, Naeher has become a figure of calmness for her teammates. Christen Press recalls looking to Naeher for confidence in difficult moments, such as during the penalty shoot-out in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Her sentence was, “If Lissy can do this, so can I,” where she finds strength in Naeher’s steady presence. 

Naeher struggled with her emotions at the beginning of her career. Mistakes took her mentally out of the game for the rest of the match. However, she developed mental toughness and worked hard to overcome this, finding ways to acknowledge her anxiety without letting it control her.

Her experience during the Tokyo Olympics serves as a prime example of her transformation. After conceding a goal against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, she bounced back to make some important saves in the penalty shootout. This mental toughness was not something new and was an exemplar of her mental aptitude.

Naeher’s journey serves as a powerful example for everyone on how to acknowledge and manage anxiety and transform it into personal growth and positivity around you. Her story underscores the importance of mental peace in sports and how it can be a defining factor in achieving success at the highest levels of competition.