Boston Breakers goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is spending the WPS off-season playing for FFC Turbine Potsdam, currently sitting in first place in Germany’s top-flight league Bundesliga. Naeher is no stranger to the NSCAA, having been honored as a two-time NSCAA Youth All-American and a three-time NSCAA Collegiate All-America. During her four years as starting goalkeeper at Penn State, the team was ranked as high as No. 7 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire College Rankings.

Naeher has posted five shutouts for the German club, most recently a 7-0 defeat against Lokomotive Leipzig. Her stellar play has helped her club advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. With the upcoming holiday break, she will return home to the United States to spend time with family.

After the holidays, Naeher and other professional soccer stars will confidently look forward to the 2012 WPS season. Last week, U.S. Soccer’s Board of Directors made the decision to continue to sanction WPS with Division 1 status. 

Women’s Committee member Mariel Wilner caught up with Naeher during her last month in Germany:

Mariel Wilner (MW): What was the driving factor behind you deciding to go abroad in the WPS off-season?
Alyssa Naeher (AN): The driving factor for me was the desire to grow as a player and gain more game experience. I knew that I could train at home or anywhere back in the U.S., but I wanted to remain part of an organized team and get valuable game minutes that I cannot simulate with any kind of training. I also just wanted to be able to experience something new and see a different style of play.

MW: How does your experience in the Bundesliga compare to what you've experienced in WPS?
AN: I think that, like WPS, it is a great learning experience. In both leagues I have had the opportunity to play with and against many world-class players. Both the Bundesliga and the WPS are very high levels of soccer. Overall I would say that it has been a good experience. There have been some ups and downs but that is part of the game.

MW: Is the German approach to training, game preparation, and games different than that in the United States? If yes, how so?
AN: The German approach is much different. There is more emphasis on just playing and technical skill here whereas in the U.S. there is more of an emphasis on the tactical side of the game. In the U.S., I had many more video analysis sessions, walkthroughs of different tactics, and other focuses during the week. That's not to say that the German approach dismisses tactics altogether, but more time is spent on training, foot skills and developing technique.

MW: Is the culture for women's soccer and support of women's soccer different than that in the United States? If yes, how so?
AN: I think that more people are more aware of women's soccer over here [in Germany]. The fans for Turbine Potsdam organize a bus of fans for all of the away games, driving up to six or seven hours sometimes just for one game! The number of fans that attend games is about 3,000-5,000; the difference is that we play in stadiums that are soccer-specific stadiums, so the atmosphere is awesome! Instead of playing in big stadiums like in the U.S. where having 8,000 fans can feel and seem like there are only a few thousand actually there, even if the numbers are lower over here, it can feel like there are 10,000 people in the stands. 
        
MW: Would you recommend the experience of playing internationally to aspiring professionals (or recommend to coaches that they encourage their players to do so)?
AN: I would definitely recommend the experience of playing internationally for other players. I think it is an opportunity to learn a lot about yourself both personally and as a player. But I would say that it is important to make sure you put yourself in the right situation; it has to be a good fit for the player that allows them the best chance to be successful and learn/improve their game.

MW: What's the one thing you miss the most about being home in the U.S.?
AN: Aside from the obvious of missing my friends and family, I’ve missed two things: having my car and speaking English. I have gotten so used to always having my car and here I have a bike. Public transportation here is actually really good, but sometimes things would be a lot easier/quicker if I could just jump in my car and drive. Language-wise, it was very difficult to not be able to understand things that were being said by coaches/teammates. I am able to understand a lot more now but still can't speak German very well so that makes things hard at times. Fortunately, some of the girls speak some English so they help me out. But, I can say now I have so much more respect for our internationals that have played for us in Boston. It is not easy!

MW: What's the one thing you'll miss the most about living in Germany when you leave?
AN: The think I will miss most about living in Germany is having my own apartment. I really liked being able to live on my own and be completely independent. It will be weird to go home and live under my parents’ roof again!