Injuries and extended absences have taken a toll on the U.S. women’s national team as the reigning world champions prepare for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
As head coach Vlatko Andonovski continues to evaluate players before naming a final roster next summer, we take a look at recent USWNT mainstays on the outside looking in and where they stand in the run-up to the biggest tournament in women’s soccer. Next up: Julie Ertz.
Position: Midfielder
Total caps: 116
Most recent USWNT appearance: Aug. 5, 2021 vs. Australia (Tokyo Olympics)
What is her track record with the USWNT?
Ertz earned her first USWNT call-up in January 2013, and she made her first appearance the next month in a friendly against Scotland.
By the 2015 World Cup, she had cemented her spot in the lineup as a defender. She was one of five U.S. players to play every minute of all seven matches during the run to the World Cup title.
In 2017, former USWNT coach Jill Ellis shifted Ertz to the midfield, and she thrived there as well, bringing a physical presence up the center of the field. She featured heavily again on the team’s run to a second World Cup championship in 2019.
Ertz played in the Olympics in summer 2021 even after spraining her MCL in the…
