Julie Ertz

A dominant force in the middle of the field, Julie Ertz is the only player to win the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year and then win the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year twice, which she did in 2017 and 2019. On April 8, 2023, she was recognized for her 100th cap, earned against England on March 5, 2020, right before the global pandemic brought sports to a halt. Ertz entered that match against Ireland in the 67th minute, marking her first cap in 611 days and her first appearance for the USWNT since the bronze medal match of the Tokyo Olympics. She was named to the FIFA FIFPro Women’s World XI in both 2015 and 2019.

As a two-time Olympian, Ertz played in two games at the 2016 Olympics and in 2021, she made a comeback from a knee injury earlier in the spring to play in all six matches in Tokyo. She started five games and played the second most minutes in the tournament with 525, contributing to the USA's capture of the bronze medal. Following her time with the Olympics, she was drafted No. 3 overall by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2014 NWSL Draft. She played with the club through the 2021 season, making 95 regular season appearances and helping the club finish NWSL Runners-Up in 2019. Ertz received NWSL Rookie of the Year honors in 2014 and NWSL Best XI recognition in 2015.

In December of 2021, Ertz's rights were traded to Angel City FC prior to the NWSL Expansion Draft. She made her debut for the club in April of 2023. Outside of her career, Ertz is the daughter of Kristi and David Johnston and has a sister, Melanie. She began her National Team career playing under her maiden name before marrying her husband, Super Bowl winning NFL tight end Zach Ertz, in 2017. Julie and Zack welcomed their first child, a son named Madden, in August of 2022 and Julie returned to the field for the USWNT eight months later, playing in the April 2023 friendlies against the Republic of Ireland. In 2018, Ertz started the Ertz Family Foundation with Zach, a charity organization with the mission of empowering others by sharing faith, promoting learning through sports and advancing education. Ertz pursued Communications at Santa Clara where she was an All-American and Herman Trophy Semifinalist for the Broncos.