“Goalkeepers Shine as Showstoppers in the 2023 Women’s World Cup”
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Throughout the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, goalkeeping excellence has emerged as one of the standout narratives of the tournament. From the very beginning, the level of goalkeeping displayed has been nothing short of extraordinary, capturing the attention of fans and pundits alike.
The early games in the group stage produced a highlight reel of spectacular, acrobatic, eye-popping stops, featuring (just to name a few) England‘s Mary Earps, Haiti‘s Kerly Théus, Jamaica‘s Rebecca Spencer, Nigeria‘s Chiamaka Nnadozie, Panama‘s Yenith Bailey and the Philippines‘ Olivia Davies-McDaniel.
“Starting goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher voiced her gratitude for the outstanding saves made by every goalkeeper in the tournament thus far following the United States’ 1-1 tie with the Netherlands on Wednesday. In the mixed zone, Naeher spoke with FOX Sports and praised her fellow goalkeepers’ outstanding efforts.
Naeher has seen considerably less action than the majority of keepers in the competition, despite acting as the final line of defense for the favorite team and two-time defending champions. The 35-year-old, who is famed for her pivotal penalty save against England’s Steph Houghton during the 2019 semi-finals, has faced just one shot on goal in the opening two games, which led to Dutch forward Jill Roord’s goal.
The data show that goalkeeping has taken center stage for practically every other team. Other goalkeepers have played a vital role in the games, showing off their talents and having a big impact for their teams.
Compared to the previous Women’s World Cup in France four years prior, there had been a notable rise in clean sheets as the first round of the competition neared its midway point. There had already been 23 clean sheets recorded by the time of the Argentina vs. South Africa encounter, falling only two short of the total from the group stage of the previous tournament.
Notably, three games finished in scoreless draws, with Jamaican goalie Spencer turning in one of the best performances when he made five saves against the mighty French club.
Notably, three games finished in scoreless draws, with Jamaican goalie Spencer turning in one of the best performances when he made five saves against the mighty French club.
The statistics also showed that goalkeeping as a whole had significantly improved. Goalkeepers successfully stopped 74% of all on-target attempts through the first half of the first round, a significant improvement over the 65% ratio witnessed at the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada and a noticeable increase over the 70% mark recorded in France in the previous edition.
It is not accidental that goalkeeping performance has improved. The significance of having a capable goalie who can single-handedly keep a team in a game is becoming more widely understood. As a result, there has been an increase in funding for the goalkeeping position, with a particular emphasis on coaching education programs created just for goalie coaches. Goalkeeping analysis will be given priority during the World Cup, as even FIFA has taken notice.
Karina LeBlanc, a former goalie for Canada who has competed in five World Cups, commented on the positive changes in the goalkeeping landscape and credited them to the collective efforts of investing in the position and offering specialized coaching programs for goalkeepers. LeBlanc is currently working as an analyst for FOX Sports in Sydney this summer. The outstanding results are in part due to this deliberate strategy.
This change has been greatly aided by the expansion of club sports. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) was just getting started ten years ago, and teams lacked many devoted goalie coaches. The NWSL champion Portland Thorns’ general manager and former player Karina LeBlanc noted that they formerly had an equipment coach who simultaneously served as the goalie coach. Since then, though, a lot has changed, with many teams now making goalie coaching a full-time position.
Similar trends may be seen in the rise of women’s club soccer in Europe, which has seen a recent increase in popularity. With more resources devoted to developing goalkeepers’ skills, this expansion has increased investment in goalie training.
The growth of club sports has tremendously facilitated this transition. Ten years ago, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) had just begun, and there weren’t many devoted goalie coaches on the teams. General manager and former player Karina LeBlanc of the NWSL champion Portland Thorns mentioned that they once had an equipment coach who also functioned as the goalie coach. But a lot has changed since then, and many teams now employ goaltender coaching as a full-time profession.
Similar patterns can be observed in the recent rise in popularity of women’s club soccer in Europe. This expansion has increased investment in goalie training due to greater resources being committed to improving goalkeepers’ abilities.
The Women’s World Cup’s bigger stakes and increased prize money have inspired national sides to give their goalkeepers’ training top priority. Goalkeeper coaches now have a wealth of data to study thanks to the increased popularity of women’s club soccer, which has led to better play. Notably, just four of the tournament’s first eight penalty kicks were successful, with three goalies making saves.
Known players like Christine Sinclair, Jennifer Hermoso, and Alex Morgan have been successfully stopped by goalkeepers like Nigeria’s Nnadozie, Costa Rica’s Solera, and Vietnam’s Thanh.
The higher stakes and greater prize money of the Women’s World Cup have motivated national teams to prioritize goalie training. Due to the improvement in play and growing popularity of women’s club soccer, goalkeeper coaches now have access to a variety of data to analyse. Notably, just four of the first eight penalty kicks in the competition were successful, and three goalies made saves.
Goalkeepers like Nigeria’s Nnadozie, Costa Rica’s Solera, and Vietnam’s Thanh have stopped well-known players like Christine Sinclair, Jennifer Hermoso, and Alex Morgan.
LeBlanc remarked that Mary Earps had probably practiced making that save countless times before she made it against Haiti. “With the Thorns, our goalkeepers will constantly practice that block posture. That kind of saving wasn’t used when I was playing. That is not by chance. To prepare for that, they must train.
Today’s keepers are also more well-rounded soccer players than their predecessors. The previous ten years have seen a significant emphasis on developing possession from back to front on both the men’s and women’s sides of the sport.
Keepers no longer frequently simply send the ball as far as they can. They are increasingly expected to be able to turn away and pass at the same time.
LeBlanc noted that the goalie is now the first line of offense rather than the last line of defense. “Goalkeepers now receive more training than merely short-stopping. Keepers are a crucial component to breaking a high press, as you can see now.
“I believe it adds to the fun. With regard to how her status has changed even since her first World Cup eight years ago, Naeher continued, “things makes things intriguing. “Continued game evolution is always a new challenge.”