Four Chicago Red Stars Called Up for Final 2024 International Window
Rosella Ayane, Julia Grosso, Natalia Kuikka and Alyssa Naeher Named to National Team Rosters
Chicago Red Stars Rosella Ayane, Julia Grosso, Natalia Kuikka, and Alyssa Naeher have been named to the final national team rosters of 2024 for their respective countries. Kuikka joins Finland in their final tests to qualify for the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship while Ayane will join Morocco, Grosso will represent Canada and Naeher joins the United States.
Rosella Ayane and Morocco will host two friendlies during the international window, taking the pitch against Botswana November 28 and Mali December 3. Since making her debut for Morocco in 2021, Ayane has scored 11 goals and the forward has now been named to all four of Morocco’s rosters in 2024. Ayane joined the Red Stars August 31 on loan from Women’s Super League side, Tottenham Hotspur, with terms keeping her in Chicago through the end of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season. The first Moroccan to appear in the NWSL, Ayane made her Red Stars debut October 20, starting the first 45 minutes of her only appearance for Chicago.
Julia Grosso joins Canada for a pair of friendlies, first taking on Iceland November 29 before facing off with Korea Republic December 3. Including this call up, Vancouver native has been named to all seven of Canada’s rosters this year, representing her nation in the 2024 CONCACAF Gold Cup, 2024 SheBelieves Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics. Grosso heads into Canada’s final matches of 2024 with two starts and playing 335 minutes across ten appearances, including 3 Olympic appearances. After signing with the Red Stars in July and making her NWSL debut August 25, Grosso started and appeared in 11 matches for Chicago across all competitions. Despite her short time on the Red Stars roster, Grosso ended the 2024 NWSL regular season with a team-leading 88.82 percent passing accuracy.
Natalia Kuikka and Finland are set to take on Scotland in a pair of home-and-away fixtures, the first on the road November 29 before hosting the second December 3. The matches mark Kuikka and the Helmarit’s final opportunity to qualify for the 2025 UEFA Women’s European Championship. An aggregate win over Scotland secures Finland’s place in the 2025 Women’s Euros tournament, set to be held in July 2025. Following her signing with Chicago in January 2024, Kuikka has represented Finland in a friendly against the Philippines, 2024 Pinatar Cup play and the entirety of Finland’s 2025 Women’s Euros qualifying journey to date. In her first season with the Red Stars, Kuikka was a stalwart on Chicago’s back line and led the league in regular-season clearances (142) while recording 2,062 minutes across 25 starts and appearances. Additionally, Kuikka also collected the Week 18 NWSL Save of the Week award for an impressive goal-line clearance September 8.
Alyssa Naeher and the United States close out 2024 on a European tour, with friendlies across the pond against England November 30 and the Netherlands December 3. Naeher’s successful 2024 campaign includes champion titles in the 2024 CONCACAF Gold Cup, 2024 SheBelieves Cup and a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the net for the United States Women’s National Team for 16 matches so far in 2024, Naeher has logged 12 wins and nine shutouts. Naeher also became the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to keep a clean sheet in both a FIFA Women’s World Cup Final and Olympic Gold Medal match and was nominated for the prestigious Ballon D’Or award in 2024. While captaining the Red Stars this season, Naeher tended goal in 24 matches, making 89 saves and keeping 6 clean sheets. In addition to making club history as the Red Star with the most regular-season minutes in 2024, Naeher was named to the NWSL March/April Best XI of the Month and earned NWSL Save of the Week honors in Weeks 1, 15 and 2024.
Following the close of the international window December 7, Ayane, Grosso, Kuikka and Naeher will resume their offseason. Fellow Red Stars teammate, Jameese Joseph, will compete in the 2024 NWSL Skills Challenge November 22. Fans will be able to watch the event November 24 on the CBS Television Network or streaming on Paramount+ at 2 or 4 p.m. CT.
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