With a smile and a chuckle, and a hint of a tear, Julie Ertz needed just a few seconds to sum up her retirement perfectly.
“It’s not because mama can’t play. Mama can play.”
That Julie Ertz can still ball is undeniable. Thus, her retirement at 31 years old came as a significant shock to the USWNT fanbase as she tearfully hinted at an upcoming goodbye after this past summer’s Women’s World Cup disappointment.
As Julie Ertz takes the field for the final time as a professional player in a friendly against South Africa in Cincinnati on Thursday, the U.S. women are in the midst of an unfamiliar transitional period where may lessons have been and will be learned.
In fact, of the many lessons evident in the aftermath of the Round of 16 exit in Australia months ago, maybe the most prominent was that Julie Ertz is even more irreplaceable than some may have thought. Now, the USWNT must find a way to replace its most irreplaceable player.
MORE: Julie Ertz calls time on her USWNT career after Women’s World Cup exit
That is not a slight on her decision to retire at a somewhat early age — a player’s career, including both when and how to end it, is solely and entirely their call. In Ertz’s case, she has been outspoken about her desire to spend more time with her family. With her…
