After giving birth to her son, Madden, and watching the U.S. women’s national soccer team accelerate preparations for the World Cup, Julie Ertz knew it was time to go back to work. “I don’t want to be the player that I was — I want to be better,” she said.
“The first few months, I would just stare at him and be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, how do people get back to work?’ It’s not easy,” Ertz said Tuesday in her first comments since joining the two-time reigning world champions for the first time since the TokyoShe and her husband, Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz, had long conversations about resuming her career.
Her surprise inclusion does not guarantee her one of the 23 spots at the tournament this summer in Australia and New Zealand. But it does put her in prime position to earn a third World Cup roster berth after starring as a center back at the 2015 event in Canada and as a defensive midfielder four years ago in France.Ertz, who will turn 31 on Thursday, arrived at training camp in Austin this week ahead of tuneups against Ireland on Saturday in the Texas capital and next Tuesday in St. Louis.
“She looks like she has a renewed sense of energy,” forward Sophia Smith said. “Technically, she looks like she hasn’t missed a beat.”“Coming back from pregnancy changes things, obviously, with your body, so I just wanted to make sure when I was coming back that I felt I was strong enough to be able to feel like I could be myself,” Ertz said.“I don’t want to go back and be the player that I was — I want to be better,” she added.
After the long layoff, Ertz acknowledged she needs to not only improve her fitness and sharpen her technical skills but gain a better understanding of this group of players and Andonovski’s tactics.
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