Julie Ertz makes stunning return to USWNT in last games before World Cup roster is set

Despite not having played an official soccer game in nearly 600 days, Julie Ertz will make a stunning return to the U.S. women’s soccer team for next month’s friendlies against the Republic of Ireland — the last games before the World Cup squad is picked in the summer.

Ertz was one of 26 players picked for the two-game set against the Irish, with 23 players set to dress for each contest.

Because of a combination of injuries and childbirth, Ertz has been out of action for so long that she isn’t with a club team right now. The 30-year-old defensive midfielder was nominally on Angel City FC’s roster last year but did not play and became a free agent. Her last game was Aug. 5, 2021, the bronze medal game of the Tokyo Olympics.

A lack of club form — or a lack of club at all — usually is an automatic disqualifier for U.S. manager Vlatko Andonovski. But Ertz apparently has done enough work off the field, and the U.S. team’s collective bargaining agreement mandates that players must be allowed an opportunity to return after pregnancy no matter their club situation.

The CBA language is clear, too: A player is eligible to return simply if “the head coach and general manager determine, after speaking with the player, that the player is physically able to return.”

» READ MORE: Bucks County native Marissa Sheva plays for the Republic of Ireland women’s soccer team

“It’s very exciting to be back with the team again and I’m grateful to have this opportunity,” Ertz said in a statement. “I have to work out details in regards to my club situation, but I am very thankful to Zach [Ertz, her husband], my family, and U.S. Soccer for the amazing support they have provided to get me back to this point.”

In a news conference Tuesday, Andonovski said he met with her in person and watched her train with high-performance coaches and an unnamed MLS team’s academy squad.

“Her mindset is superb,” he said. “She’s committed to the game, she’s committed to this team, and when I say committed — fully committed in every aspect of it. She’s ready physically, she’s ready mentally, she’s excited to be back in the environment. Most importantly, she feels confident that she can help this team win another title, and, for me, that’s what matters the most.”

Andonovski also said Ertz is “in negotiation with a team and/or teams” to sign a club contract, and he expected an announcement “pretty soon.”

“If she comes anywhere near her best, that she will certainly help us win a World Cup,” he said with ample confidence. “If somebody’s 80 or 90% is still better than somebody else’s best, then too bad.”

» READ MORE: Kristie Mewis plays a statement game for the USWNT as the clock ticks toward the World Cup

Ertz’s roster place seems to have come at Sam Coffey’s expense. That makes for a stark contrast, as Coffey made last year’s NWSL team of the season as a rookie and won the championship with the Portland Thorns.

When Andonovski set the squad for February’s SheBelieves Cup, Coffey wasn’t on it. He said “it doesn’t mean that she’s out by any means,” and that Coffey is “very much in the pool.”

On Tuesday, he insisted that upcoming NWSL games will give him plenty of evidence to judge players. But with Taylor Kornieck, Kristie Mewis, and stalwart Andi Sullivan on this roster, it’s hard to believe Coffey still has a shot at the World Cup. She hasn’t played for the U.S. since last November, a span of six games.

“We have a pretty good idea of how the chemistry works, how relations between the players work,” he said. “At the end, we’ve still got to see these players perform [and] be in good form. And together with the knowledge and information and analysis that we have of the player and the group of players, we’ll hopefully make the right decision.”

Other notable returnees on this roster include Casey Krueger and Kelley O’Hara, who bring needed outside back depth; Tierna Davidson, a boost at centerback; and Sophia Smith, who will retake her starting spot at right wing after a winter ankle injury.

O’Hara (hip) and Davidson (torn ACL) also are back from injuries, while Krueger gave birth to a son last July.

» READ MORE: Sam Coffey hoped for one more chance to prove she should make the USWNT World Cup team

Krueger and Ertz are two of five mothers on this squad, along with Crystal Dunn, Adrianna Franch, and Alex Morgan. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said as far as the record books show, that’s the most on a single roster in program history, though the stat hasn’t always been kept.

Star attacker Catarina Macario is not fully recovered from a torn ACL yet, though, so she’s not on the team. Megan Rapinoe also is out because of a recent lower leg injury that’s expected to be short-term.

The biggest coach-decided absence beyond Coffey seems to be Midge Purce. Unless Andonovski takes more wingers to the World Cup than expected, the projected group right now is Smith, Mallory Swanson, Lynn Williams, and Rapinoe.

If injuries halt any of them, Purce and Trinity Rodman are next in line — and with Rodman on this roster, she might have the edge.

Then again, there are 10 defenders on this squad so Andonovski can try to judge them all.

The U.S. will play Ireland on April 8 in Austin, Texas (2:30 p.m., TNT, Universo, Peacock), and on April 11 in St. Louis (7:30 p.m., Universo, HBO Max, Peacock).

» READ MORE: Alex Morgan sets a unique USWNT record: The most goals scored as a mother

Goalkeepers (3): Adrianna Franch (Kansas City Current), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

Defenders (10): Alana Cook (OL Reign), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Emily Fox (North Carolina Courage), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Casey Krueger (Chicago Red Stars), Kelley O’Hara (Gotham FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns), Emily Sonnett (OL Reign)

Midfielders (7): Julie Ertz (Unattached), Lindsey Horan (Olympique Lyon, France), Taylor Kornieck (San Diego Wave), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (Gotham FC), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

Forwards (6): Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit), Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars), Lynn Williams (Gotham FC)

» READ MORE: Taylor Kornieck represents a big gamble by Vlatko Andonovski at a key position for the USWNT