Julie Ertz steps up, Sophia Smith steps out, and U.S. team flexes its depth to start the World Cup

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — It was surprising that Julie Ertz started at centerback for the U.S. women’s soccer team in its World Cup-opening 3-0 win over Vietnam. But it was only so surprising.

From the moment the U.S. unveiled a tournament roster with just two true centerbacks on it, there was speculation that Ertz would return to a role she starred in at the 2015 World Cup, then played in 2019 for the Americans’ opener at that World Cup. That was her last time in the role for the national team.

Lo and behold, there Ertz was in the starting lineup, next to Naomi Girma. And over the 110 minutes of clock time — including 11 minutes of stoppage time in the first half and nine in the second — Ertz looked like she hadn’t skipped a beat. She registered nine defensive recoveries and two clearances, won four of the six duels she contested, and completed 66 of 79 passes.

“It was good — I mean, a clean sheet [shutout], that’s what you want,” she said afterward. “Throughout my entire time with the national team, you always have to be versatile, so you’re always kind of thrown in, in different things, just to be able to ask what you’re needed [for].”

Ertz, Girma, and other players revealed that the team had rehearsed with Ertz at centerback for weeks.

“Yes, we have trained a lot together,” Girma said, though this was the first game she played with Ertz.

“It was great playing with Julie — a lot of communication, she has so much experience back there,” Girma added. “I think us developing our partnership and our relationship will be huge.”

» READ MORE: Sophia Smith stars in the USWNT’s 3-0 win over Vietnam at the World Cup

Ertz lavished praise on Girma in turn.

“Nay’s world-class as well, so that sure helps for me getting back after not playing there in a while,” she said. “I love the communication, I love her positivity, and our backline is just really committed [to] being the best that we can be.”

After the players were done talking, coach Vlatko Andonovski offered the details on how deploying Ertz at centerback came together.

“When we knew that Becky [Sauerbrunn] was not going to be able to make it, that’s something that we started looking into even deeper,” he said. “We had a conversation with Julie before we even tried it, did a lot of work before we even got in camp in terms of video analysis on both sides — we were helping her out, but also she wanted to get adjusted and acclimated as soon as possible. And I think that today showed how good she can be in the back line, in possession and out of possession, so I’m glad I made that decision.”

» READ MORE: Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT’s veterans are at the World Cup to win — and mentor ‘the next generation’

There was certainly nothing surprising about Sophia Smith’s superstar game: the first two goals, the assist on the third, 11 duels won of 22 contested, and 11 defensive recoveries.

“I think it was a good starting point for our team in this tournament,” Smith said. “I also know that we have a lot more that we can give, a lot more to do, little things to work on. So I think it’s a good place to start. And personally, it was good to just get a World Cup game under my belt, kind of see how it felt know what to expect. But yeah, I think it honestly just makes me more excited for the next game.”

Nor was it surprising that Smith paid tribute to her and Girma’s former Stanford teammate Katie Meyer, whose death by suicide last year has become a rallying cry for both of them. Girma got her U.S. teammates together for a publicity push to highlight mental health, with an essay for The Players’ Tribune and a powerful video on social media.

After a video review gave Smith her second goal of the game, she made a zip-your-lips gesture that mimicked a viral moment Meyer had when she made a penalty shootout save that won their Cardinal squad the 2019 national championship.

» READ MORE: Sophia Smith, Naomi Girma and the USWNT’s young stars are poised to break out at the World Cup

“That was for Katie,” Smith said. “Nay and I talked about it before the game — we were like, what could we do for Katie, and that’s pretty iconic what she did. … We just wanted to honor her in every way.”

If anything was surprising about Smith’s day, it was that she admitted to having some nerves before kickoff.

“I was feeling all the emotions going into it, not really knowing what to expect,” she said. “So to start off on a good note, it feels good, and it makes me just more excited for the next game.

“I don’t usually get nervous, but I was nervous before this game. It’s a World Cup, I feel like that just shows how much it means.”

» READ MORE: Vlatko Andonovski’s generational overhaul of the USWNT finally happened, but not how anyone imagined it would

It bears noting that while the U.S. took 28 total shots, just seven were on target — and some were quite a way off target. Alex Morgan’s poorly taken penalty kick that Vietnam goalkeeper Trần Thị Kim Thanh easily saved also didn’t help.

Smith’s goals helped put a sheen on the game as a whole. But Andonovski certainly noticed all those misses.

“It is the first time that this 11 have been on the field together, they’ve never been on the field together in a game scenario for one minute,” he said, noting that his starters included six World Cup debutantes. Two more debutantes were among his five substitutes.

“Partially, I’m sure that nerves had something to do with it,” Andonovski said. “I also know that any one of those opportunities, every single one of our players is capable of finishing them up. So I’m not worried about it.”

» READ MORE: New Zealand rallies a nation shocked by shooting with its first-ever World Cup win

While the scoreline wasn’t a blowout, the U.S. found another way to send a message to the rest of the tournament. Andonovski didn’t just make five substitutions in the second half, he really showed off the Americans’ depth by swapping both outside backs in the 84th minute.

“The U.S. team has always had depth — it’s something that we show off every time and that’s why it makes it so hard to get on this team and be a part of this team,” said starting right back Emily Fox, who made way for Sofia Huerta. “I think in every position, we have threats, whether it’s centerback, outside back, forward. So yeah, we will probably have lots of rotation.”

There was also a World Cup debut for 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, who subbed in for Trinity Rodman at right wing and drew a big cheer from the U.S. fans in the crowd of 41,107 at Eden Park.

“I’m really excited that I got to play, and get that first win out of the way for the World Cup,” said Thompson, who admitted she was “very nervous” as she stood on the sideline waiting to enter.

“But once I stepped on,” she said, “obviously all the nerves go away, and I’m just ready to play soccer and win the game.”

» READ MORE: Women’s World Cup TV schedule, live streaming, kickoff times on Fox and Telemundo

Your subscription powers our newsroom and journalism like this. Support our work by visiting inquirer.com/tannenwald and receive unlimited access to Inquirer.com, The Inquirer App, and e-Edition at a special price: $1 for three months.