Almost two years ago, a surprise hit the soccer world. US captain Julie Ertz played her final game for two years, the Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medal game, on Aug. 5, 2021. Ertz played for the United States national team for 10 years. She won the World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and received a bronze medal in 2020, the same year she was named captain
The following year, Ertz, who played club ball as a member as the Chicago Red Stars, was out most of the NWSL season. Ertz trained hard and was fit for the Olympics, where the US took Bronze. After the third-place finish, she got pregnant. Along with having a baby, she suffered an MCL injury at the end of 2021. Ertz would be absent from soccer for exactly 611 days.
On April 8th, 2023, in the 67th minute of a game against Ireland, Ertz made her return to the US women’s national team. Before the match Julie spoke with the media, talked about why she came back and smiled, saying, “I think clearly the love of the game is hard to step away from. I’m glad to be back”. Ertz may have returned to the international level, but she still did not have a club.
That void was filled on Monday April 17. Second year expansion club Angel City FC announced they had signed Ertz to a 1-year contract. “I am so thrilled to be joining one of the most exciting clubs in the world in Angel City FC,” Ertz said.
Ertz also comes back just three months away from the 2023 women’s World Cup. If she is selected, it would be her third appearance. Ertz, and the United States women’s national team have a lot of questions to answer before then, but for the time being, it is great on and off the field to have Julie Ertz back playing for club and country.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10