Who Is Julie Ertz? New Details On The U.S. Women's Soccer Midfielder Competing In The World Cup
She's the second youngest member of the team.
getty The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place from June 11th to 20th, and so far, these ladies on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team are kicking major butt! Last week, they won against Thailand in a 13-0 game, and on Sunday, claimed victory against Chile with a 3-0 final score. They’ll finish out the tournament with a game against Sweden.
The U.S. team is the most successful team in international women’s soccer, winning three Women’s World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals. Their recent lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for unequal pay means that winning this tournament is just another reason they deserve the same pay as their male counterparts, who don’t win nearly as much.
For soccer fans or those who just want to cheer on the good ol’ USA, getting to know the individual players adds another layer to this sport. So, who is Julie Ertz? Here are 4 things to know about the midfielder playing on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team.
1. She’s been playing from a young age.
Ertz and her sister, Melanie Johnston, grew up playing soccer for the Sereno Soccer Club in Phoenix, Arizona. She was on the team from 2004 to 2010, winning the state title nine times and becoming captain of the team. Though she didn’t play for the soccer team in high school, she was a volunteer student athletic trainer during her time there.
2. She had a collegiate career.
After high school, Ertz began playing in college with the Santa Clara University Broncos from 2010 to 2013. She majored in communications, but during her time with the team, showed just how essential she was. She was named WCC Freshman of the Year, and received NSCAA honors.
In addition to her freshman year, in her sophomore year, she was a semi-finalist for the Hermann Trophy; her junior year, she was named to the All-WCC First Team and NCAA Division I Women All-West Region First Team, and U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year; her senior year, she won WCC Player of the Year, and College Sports Madness WCC Player of the Year.
3. But she finally made the move to professional athlete.
In 2014, she was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars, a team she still plays on. She was named NWSL Rookie of the Year during her first year on the team! But in 2015, she spent most of her time with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team preparing for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She also played with the national team during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. For the 2015 FIFA World Cup, she was named to the FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team, following the U.S.’ defeat over Japan.
4. She’s married to a fellow athlete.
Ertz is married to Zach Ertz, who is a tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles. The couple met in college while attending a Stanford Cardinal game, clearly sharing a love of sports.
Ertz recalled the moment they met, saying, “I remember Zach was pretty shy. His big move was to offer me some of his sunflower seeds. It was a pretty good move, actually. For the rest of the game, I did most of the conversation legwork and any time there was an awkward pause or something, he’d just offer me more seeds. I probably ate like 500 seeds that night.”
They were engaged at the stadium in which they met, and married in March 2017. Said Ertz to ESPN, “Zach knows me better than anyone else in the world. He’s that person I’m vulnerable with. We grew up together. In the soccer world, it’s really hard to root yourself.” How sweet is that?
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.