USWNT April roster drop: Guide to the friendlies vs the Republic of Ireland

1. How does Julie Ertz look?

If you were like everyone who saw Julie Ertz’s name on the April roster, you were probably both confused and elated at the same time. How can Ertz be on the roster? Nobody has seen her lace up her boots in two years. Ertz has not made an appearance for the USWNT since the Bronze Medal match against Australia in the Tokyo Olympic Games back in the summer of 2021. The Arizona native is currently not playing club soccer, nor is she on a club team in 2023. Angel City FC acquired the rights for Ertz from the Chicago Red Stars back in 2021, but the Arizona native never donned an ACFC kit. 

Given how the coaching staff values success at the club level to lead to selection on the national team, it is pretty clear that Ertz is going to be playing club soccer between now and the start of the World Cup. After two years away from the sport due to a knee injury and the birth of her first child, there are plenty of questions if Ertz is even ready to make a return at this point.

The coaching staff would have not called in the two-time World Cup champion if they did not think she was ready for competitive soccer. This came pretty much out of nowhere though. There were rumors that Ertz was even done with her professional soccer career as she began her family with NFL star Zach Ertz. According to reports, Ertz has been training intensively with MLS Academy players on top of working with individual coaches to get back into playing shape. Who knows if she will even earn a spot on the pitch, but having her back in training will force the players throughout this roster along with those left out to elevate their game.

2. Who makes themselves known as the USWNT’s No. 6?

This may have been the reason for the return of Ertz into the team. Andi Sullivan, despite being given the most opportunity at the No. 6 position in the midfield, she not convinced the coaching staff that she should be the choice this summer. Sam Coffey is clearly not in contention for selection due to her youth and inexperience, so Andonovski chose to call up arguably the best defensive midfielder in the history of the USWNT.

Both Kristie Mewis, and Taylor Kornieck have been given the chance in that role, but neither of them stuck. Lindsey Horan also slotted into that position, but it is clear that Andonovski wants more of a natural defensive midfielder rather than playing an attacking one out of position. Sullivan is more of a possession-based midfielder while Ertz is someone that attempts to cover every blade of grass during her time on the pitch. Japan opened everyone’s eyes to the holes that this group had in the middle of the field. Andonovski shuffled things around at the No. 6 role back in February. Keep an eye on the defensive six, especially with Ertz earning an unexpected place as one of the seven midfielders.

3. Why did so many defenders make the roster?

Just scanning the roster, one of the most shocking aspects was the fact that there were 10 defenders listed. In February, the USWNT only brought in seven. Why could Andonovski want to utilize 10 defenders when he already knows the three in the middle of the back four that are going to be given the most time? It is a legitimate question, but only time will tell how each of these players is going to feature in both Ireland matches. Emily Fox, and Crystal Dunn will most likely occupy the outside back positions with competition coming from O’Hara and Sofia Huerta.

The only question in the backline heading into the most prestigious tournament in the world is which two defenders are going to start next to each other against Vietnam on July 21. Naomi Girma has been the most impressive defender since coming onto the USWNT scene in April of 2022 against Uzbekistan. Her passing range, and calmness under pressure at such a young age are incredibly impressive. Girma, Alana Cook, and Becky Sauerbrunn all combined for 540 minutes during the SheBelieves Cup. The top-three spots look to be secured, but it is going to be interesting to see which two are favored over the other.

Davidson is a player that is getting back up to speed with competitive soccer and would be the perfect player to round out the team’s top-four defenders. One of the spots given to Emily Sonnett and Krueger could have been given to Purce in the forward line. Both bring their own qualities, but at the end of the day, depth on the defensive end is not as essential as the forward and midfield line. Increasing the player pool to 26 makes room for three more compared to the SheBelieves Cup camp, but those spots could have arguably been better utilized for players that contribute much higher up the pitch.

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