Julie Ertz ahead of final game with USWNT: 'It's not because mama can't play'
After a disappointing World Cup, what does the United States women's national team need to do to get back on top?
"Win," Julie Ertz said in her final professional soccer news conference on Wednesday. Ertz, who will go down as one of the greatest players in team history, officially announced her retirement in August and is playing in her final national team match on Thursday when the USWNT takes on South Africa in Cincinnati (7:30 p.m. ET).
"The way to get back on top is you've gotta win," Ertz continued. "I feel like it's so obvious, I could sit here and say, ‘Well, this and that.' At the end of the day, you've got to score goals. You have to get them in the back of the net and you can't make excuses."
The Americans were shockingly eliminated by rival Sweden in the round of 16 after a dramatic penalty shootout. After the heartbreaker, the USWNT's earliest exit in World Cup history, Ertz was in tears and said in a postgame interview that it was "probably the last game ever being able to have the honor to wear this crest."
'It's probably my last game ... being able to wear this crest' — Julie Ertz speaks after the United States' elimination at the World Cup
Now that some time has passed, Ertz was able to reflect on the team's performance in Australia and New Zealand before hanging up her boots for good.
"When you go [into a World Cup], everyone that's there, you want to win, and obviously we weren't close at all to our goal and that's disappointing for many reasons," said Ertz, who was one of three U.S. players to play every minute of the tournament.
Ertz made a miraculous comeback to play this summer. She had not played in a competitive match since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to injuries and having a baby, and there was some doubt regarding her fitness and form. Would she look like the Ertz from four years ago?
The answer was a resounding yes. Not only did she make her third consecutive World Cup roster, but Ertz was asked to move to center back, a position she had not played regularly in years. She started on the back line at the 2015 World Cup, but had transitioned to the defensive midfield. But when Becky Sauerbrunn was ruled out with an injury weeks before the start of the tournament, former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski asked Ertz to switch to her former position. She did so gladly and was a huge asset to a defense that gave up just one goal in the run of play.
Julie Ertz's Journey Back to USWNT: Regaining her Spot | SOTU
It would be impossible for Ertz to be introspective just about the team's World Cup performance and not talk about her own journey. The last year has seen a whole bunch of "firsts" for Ertz after giving birth to her son Madden in August 2022.
"I don't think a lot of people take time to just say, I'm proud of [myself]," she said. "That just sounds bizarre. But I am. With the year that I've had, it was so up and down and emotional and great and unique and I feel like every single word you could possibly think of in the world happened in eight months' time.
"So yes, [the World Cup] was disappointing for sure, but I have noticed that any setback makes for a better comeback. That happened for us in the 2016 Olympics and the 2019 [World Cup]. It's really about how you learn from this. I'm excited to see their comeback."
The USWNT has a quick turnaround with the 2024 Paris Olympics coming in nine months. Did Ertz consider retiring after that and playing in another Games?
"It's not because mama can't play; mama can play," Ertz said. "She just has adapted priorities.
"And I think that comes with age. I feel like I've been so blessed to have the career I've had. But there's just some part in your heart where you know and I think that is closure enough for me. And that's why I'm so grateful to have this last game to close the chapter and say bye."
In retirement, Ertz leaves a huge hole in the middle of the field for the next USWNT coach to fill. She's the on-field general and locker room leader, a commanding force and a dominant aerial threat. She prides herself in defending and winning the ball anywhere on the pitch.
As Ertz leaves the USWNT behind and looks ahead to spending more time with her family, is there a younger player in the next generation that she believes can fill her shoes and be just as impactful? Position-wise, Andi Sullivan and Sam Coffey can play the six spot. Naomi Girma has center back under control. Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan are vocal leaders in the central midfield.
"I think there's so much talent in that locker room and I think comparison is always so hard," Ertz said. "Everyone brings their own thing and having the expectation that someone is going to fill [someone's shoes] kind of takes away from what they have.
"There's tremendous space for players to grow into and you grow into that position off of adversity and off of experience. Every individual player needs to go through their own journey. … You've gotta find it in your own way. And you find that by going through stuff and experience and years."
'When I'm home, I'm just mom' - Alex Morgan, Julie Ertz and Crystal Dunn reflect on being first-time mothers at the World Cup
What will Ertz miss the most? Obviously the camaraderie and game days and the banter at practices, she said. But most of all?
"At this point, when you reflect on everything, you're obviously going to miss everything," Ertz said. "But I think competing and winning is probably the one I'm going to miss the most."
Which should surprise absolutely no one.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
