Julie Ertz’s swan song turns page for USWNT post-World Cup

On the occasion of her final game in a U.S. women’s national team jersey, Julie Ertz had kept her emotions in check. Mostly. But a postgame montage of her career and a speech to the crowd proved to be too much. The tears flowed, showing the passion that defined Ertz’s career.

“To every girl out there who dreams to be here, it’s worth it,” she said as she addressed the crowd at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium after the game. “Every part of it.”

The U.S. prevailed over South Africa 3-0 on Thursday, thanks to a 10-minute stretch in the first half that saw Lynn Williams score a pair of goals and Trinity Rodman add another. The win didn’t amount to a complete catharsis following a hugely disappointing 2023 Women’s World Cup that saw the earliest U.S. exit from a World Cup in the history of the program. That recovery will require many more pages to be turned, not to mention the hiring of a new manager.

Ertz’s international finale added a feel-good element to the occasion, though. Even as the U.S. cruised to victory, this match was all about celebrating one of the finest defensive players to ever suit up for the USWNT. Ertz will finish with 123 international appearances, 20 goals and a pair of World Cup titles.

Yet Ertz meant more to the U.S. than mere numbers could ever convey. She has long been one of the team’s emotional leaders, playing with a physical edge that made it near impossible for opponents to break through. Her absence from the USWNT following the birth of her son, Madden, last August was keenly felt.

It was telling that during her prematch news conference, Ertz said “competing and winning” were what she would miss the most after she retires. That attitude isn’t as easy to replace as it sounds.

Her play at the 2023 World Cup — leading a back line that conceded just once in the entire tournament — was so stellar that she could have easily carried on to the Olympics, set to begin in 10 months. But family life with Madden and her husband, Zach Ertz, beckons. She will have no regrets, and this night was everything she hoped it would be.

“Really excited that we scored kind of right before [I was subbed]. It just felt like a really good ending to say bye,” Ertz said on the TNT postgame show. “I’ve always known I loved the sport, and in that moment, the 35 minutes left that I was blessed to have, I just could just feel it. I could feel how much I loved it. I’m so grateful.”

It was a night when U.S. interim manager Twila Kilgore did what she could to set the table for the defensive mainstay to score, allowing Ertz to move high up the field in an advanced midfield role. Ertz’s teammates did their best as well to get her on the scoresheet, finding her on a…