In The Journey to the Cup, The Athletic tells the stories of players and teams as they work towards a place in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Follow along as we track their progress as they prepare both mentally and physically for a chance to shine on the game’s biggest stage.
The 26-player roster for the USWNT’s upcoming training camp in April is out — and there’s one name dominating the conversations on Tuesday: Julie Ertz.
The midfielder last played with the national team during the 2021 Olympics, and hasn’t appeared in the NWSL since May 16, 2021 when she sprained her right MCL in a collision during a Chicago Red Stars match. She had her first child with Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz in August 2022, further delaying her potential return. There have been plenty of questions about her status over the past few months — starting with if she was planning to return at all — but with Tuesday’s roster news those answers have now started to come.
“We know the quality of the player that she (is), and that if she comes anywhere near her best that she will certainly help us win a World Cup throughout this process,” USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski told reporters after the roster drop. He brought up his previous comments about Ertz, stressing again that…
