Julie Ertz makes seamless move to center back, boosts USWNT defense

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Off the top of her head, Julie Ertz couldn't remember the last time she played center back.

"Today?" she said after starting in the middle of the defense for the United States in its first 2023 Women's World Cup match Friday. The Americans beat Vietnam 3-0.

This was the first time Ertz had played that position since the 2019 World Cup opener against Thailand, but that was a one-off example. 

Ertz thrived at center back in her early national team days and played there regularly. In the 2015 tournament, she played every minute there en route to helping the squad to a championship and was named to the FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team for her performance. 

Then in 2017, she started to shift toward the No. 6 position as a defensive midfielder and has mostly played there — for club and country — ever since.

But when the indomitable Becky Sauerbrunn was forced out of the U.S. women's national team roster due to a nagging injury, coach Vlatko Andonovski had to figure out a replacement on the back line. 

Naomi Girma established herself playing alongside Sauerbrunn for the past year and had locked down a starting spot. Alana Cook had rotated in there as well, but Andonovski wanted to go into this World Cup with a bit more experience defensively — especially given that Girma and starting right back Emily Fox were also playing in their first World Cup. 

Ertz could seamlessly succeed Sauerbrunn and join left back Crystal Dunn as back line veterans.

"Julie has experience, and she's played big games at center back," Andonovski said after the Vietnam match. "We know in 2015, she played center back, and this team was very successful. The back line was very synchronized, and when we knew that Becky was not going to be able to make it, that's something we started looking into even deeper."

Ertz surprised everyone by returning to the USWNT in April — she gave birth to her son Madden last August — and that's when the wheels set in motion for her to play her former position. 

"We had a conversation with Julie and did a lot of work before we even got in camp in terms of videos and analysis," Andonovski said. "We were helping her out, and she wanted to get adjusted and acclimated as soon as possible. And I think today it showed how good she can be on the back line in possession and out of possession. So I'm glad we made that decision."

Ertz did not play in the USWNT's send-off game against Wales on July 9, prompting mild concerns about fitness and form. But Andonovski said last week that she was at 100%, and he expected her to play. Then she went for a full 90 minutes for the first time since having a baby less than a year ago. 

She looked comfortable in the old role, too. Ertz was steady and had a presence on the field. She was always talking to her teammates, kept the back line organized and didn't allow a single Vietnamese player to get behind her. She made important tackles and had a few scoring opportunities, too. 

While those headers didn't go in, Ertz did set up a long pass that led to the USWNT's third goal, scored by Lindsey Horan in the second half.

Ertz and Girma, who made her World Cup debut, had never played center back together and haven't had a ton of time in training to fine tune their partnership. But it was hard to tell.

"Nay is world class," Ertz said. "So that should help me getting back after not playing [that position] for a while. …

"I love the communication, I love her positivity, and the back line is really committed to being the best that we can be," Ertz continued. "I think that communication is just a huge start. And I think it gives us a lot of confidence going forward."

In February, while talking about the 23-year-old Girma, Megan Rapinoe actually compared her to Ertz as far as being mature beyond her age and experience. 

"She's just f—-ing good," Rapinoe said then. "It's tough to step into this team at this level and immediately be like a no-brainer to start. I think the last person I can think of would be Julie Ertz. She came in and immediately was a starter and played in the World Cup. The impact was just immediate with Nay. She's going to be the future of the team for a long time."

Even Andonvoski, in discussing all of the young players who got minutes in their first World Cup match, said Girma was a true pro. She was confident handling the ball under pressure and stripped attackers on the dribble.

"I thought she looked like she has three World Cups behind her," he said. "Just so comfortable and poised."

While there is some outside trepidation and concern for what the back line depth might look like as the tournament progresses — driven by Sauerbrunn's absence — having Ertz as a viable option to play multiple positions lowers Andonovski's stress level. 

Cook and Emily Sonnett could also see minutes at center back if Ertz is deployed into the midfield later on. Though Andonovski did not reveal how Ertz might split her time.

"I can't say anything for certain," Andonovski said. "For this game, we needed her to be a center back, and she played center back and played very well for us. For the next game, we're going to look into it and decide whether she's going to be a midfielder or a center back.

"But the thing that is very good about Julie, when we talked about that, she was up for the task immediately and literally, she said, ‘Coach, whatever we need to do to win this game.'"

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.