![]() National Women’s Soccer League April 30, 2023 Another sign is that when Ertz is available she has played solid minutes, going from 72 minutes against the Wave in late April to 100 minutes against the Spirit in May. In a March media call, Andonovski said, “She needed to join a professional team to get consistent games to give us a chance to furthermore evaluate her before the World Cup.” With only a few months back in NWSL, Ertz said she felt the jump in play from her Angel City debut against the San Diego Wave to her performance against Portland Thorns, and she felt a jump again from Portland to her next game against the Washington Spirit.Īn early sign of Ertz’s comeback was a classic near-post header against the Thorns, a well-timed run on a free kick to dink in the ball in the 79th minute in a move familiar to longtime fans. “You always have so much emotion, excitement, all this anticipation, noise, all that.”Ĭlub performance, in particular, is key. “The first (game is) always the hardest,” she said. It helps that she has her return games out of the way for both club and country. And she hasn’t looked completely out of step since then, gradually getting more minutes with Angel City, where she signed a one-year contract in April.Īs with many players returning, Ertz said that while her fitness and technical touches are coming along, the final elements to click into place will be speed of play and decision making. At times, the United States midfield has needed some bite of the particular kind that Ertz is so good at providing. “I think my whole process, especially coming back from pregnancy, is (to) be fast but don’t hurry.”Īs a veteran player, the two-time World Cup winner knows better than most that she’ll have to fight for a spot on a roster that had been somewhat ticking along without her for nearly two years before she got a run out in the team’s April friendlies against the Republic of Ireland. It’s also a lot of time for a lot: to be focused, to be the most prepared, to try and peak at the most perfect time,” Ertz said. ![]() “Fifty days is a short amount of time when you wait for four years. There are fewer than 50 days to go until the World Cup kicks off, and even less time until USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski names his roster in mid-to-late June. women’s national team player who knows exactly what to do and what will be expected of her - all while she continues to take on projects dear to her like feeding children and her 9-month-old son starting walking. “It would be a joy to be on that roster,” she said.īut the timeline for Ertz to get her legs back under her is short even for an experienced U.S. She knows and we know and she knows that we know that she’s angling for a Women’s World Cup roster spot this summer. Could be anyone, really.Įrtz isn’t oblivious, of course. Yes, unnamed players getting ready for random big tournaments. ![]() In a call with The Athletic to promote her partnership with Abbott addressing child malnutrition, she didn’t even say the words “ World Cup.” Instead, as she discussed how NWSL games can run quite long now due to VAR decisions, she said that playing the extra time is “definitely good practice for players getting ready for big tournaments.”
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