U.S. women’s national team legend Julie Ertz will play her final international match with the squad against South Africa on Sept. 21 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What’s Ertz’s legacy?
Defensive midfielders don’t always get a lot of credit, but Ertz made sure everyone realized how important the role was during the 2019 World Cup. Her shift from center back to DM to center back again for this World Cup showed just how crucial she was to this era of the USWNT, and provided one of the bright spots for the team in New Zealand and Australia alongside Naomi Girma.
Her legacy goes beyond the senior team though, as one of a few players who also won a youth World Cup with the under-20s in 2012. Best known for her physicality, her ability to shut down opposing players with a perfect tackle and her raging competitiveness, Ertz reflects this closing era of the USWNT’s dominance and ruthlessness — in all the best ways. While her return for the 2023 World Cup was a surprise one, her retirement had felt more imminent than most following the last Olympics. — Linehan
What Ertz said
“I expected to just walk away after retirement, but to have the opportunity to say goodbye to my…
