In the 11th minute, veteran Lynn Biyendolo saw what was transpiring. She saw forward Emma Sears on the right side of the goal and sprinted towards the net. Sears controlled the ball and hit Biyendolo for the open goal in a 4-0 win against Ireland.
A ✨moment✨ for that INCREDIBLE assist from Emma Sears!pic.twitter.com/VnapDJSdXR
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) June 29, 2025
Biyendolo noticed what a lot of fans of the national team have begun to realize. Emma Sears may be one of the next stars of the team and following in the footsteps of a player like Julie Ertz. She's only had one goal in seven caps but has been a part of many other goals due to her push up the field by the goal.
During her career, Julie Ertz was known for controlling the ball and assiting on generating chances for the prominent goal scorers such as Alex Morgan and Christen Press. She did not gather as much attention or headlines during her career but was vital to the team's success. She won two World Cups and an Olympic bronze medal.
Emma Sears is making herself indispensable to the USWNT
Now Sears, may be following in her footsteps behind emerging stars such as Alyssa Thompson. Sears spoke with reporters after the match on June 29.
"Over the past few months, it's been really helpful each camp," Sears said. "Specifically, I'm working on my movement off the ball and making quicker decisions, and so that's something that I can focus on in this camp. And I think that translated into the translated into the game today."
The youth movement continues to be in full effect for Emma Hayes, the head coach of the national team. It was obvious in 2023 at the World Cup that the national team had aged and did not have the proper mix of both veteran and rookie players. They were eliminated in the earliest exit from a World Cup in the team's history.
That team did feature Julie Ertz who was one of many players who retired following the World Cup. Sears can be a part of the youth movement while learning from veterans such as Rose Lavelle and Biyendolo.
She is emerging as both a star in the NWSL and the national roster and if she continues to generate more scoring chances while on the pitch, she should be one of the players that Hayes will look at for the 2027 World Cup.
It would be a full circle movement if she follows in Ertz's footsteps. In 2019, Ertz scored against Chile in the World Cup tournament. Sears would love to add a World Cup goal to her blossoming resume.