`Mama can still play': Julie Ertz leaves USWNT on her terms, leaves lasting impact on game

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Julie Ertz hasn’t played a competitive game since the U.S. women crashed out of the World Cup six weeks ago, and her appearance in Thursday night’s sendoff match will be somewhat ceremonial.

Yet as the USWNT began its training session Wednesday, there was Ertz, doing work as if she was getting ready for the World Cup. She did the same warmup exercises, the same drills. When it was her turn to try and take the ball away from a teammate, she went hard at Crystal Dunn. The look on her face was one of intense focus, not wanting to waste one second of work even when she no longer needs to.

If anything sums up Ertz and what she’s meant to the USWNT, those scenes were it.

“(She’s) a player that gives absolutely everything. Every time she puts on the crest and she’s wearing this jersey, Julie is giving her all,” co-captain Lindsey Horan said.

“She’s done so much for this national team. She is an absolute rock,” Horan added. “I’m so proud of her. I’m going to miss her. I wish this wasn’t happening, I wish she’d stay on a little bit longer.”

Make no mistake, Ertz isn’t retiring because she’s past her prime and can no longer keep up – though she joked she’s aged “in dog years” this last year. Despite returning to the USWNT in April after being out almost 18 months because of injuries and the birth of her son, Madden, she was one of three field players to play every minute at the World Cup.

At a position she hadn’t played regularly in six years, no less.

“It’s not because Mama can’t play. Mama can play,” Ertz said. “She has just adapted her priorities.”

Ertz’s husband, Zach, plays for the Arizona Cardinals, and the closest NWSL teams to Phoenix are in California. With Madden only 13 months old, Ertz does not want to be a commuter family.

Plus, she knows she is fortunate to be able to walk away still at the top of her game, having accomplished more than most players could ever imagine.

Saying Ertz is a two-time World Cup champion does not do justice to the roles she played on each team. In 2015, she was an anchor of a backline that allowed just three goals in seven games – and two of those were in the final, when the game was already out of hand. Four years later, she was the central figure in the midfield, directing traffic for both the offense and defense.

Even though this last World Cup was a disappointment, with the USWNT making its earliest exit ever at a major international tournament, Ertz was still one of the few bright spots. With Ertz back at center back because of an injury to Becky Sauerbrunn, the U.S. defense allowed just two shots on goal.

Ertz was tenacious and physical, and her attention to detail was next level. She might not have commanded the same spotlight as Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, but she was no less essential to the USWNT.

“There’s so much to learn from her,” said Naomi Girma, who partnered with Ertz at center back in Australia and New Zealand. “Her professionalism and attention to detail is one of the top I’ve seen. How she’ll break down every play – 'We should have been one step higher,' or, 'We’re one step off' – and looking at every little detail … is something that I’ll definitely take away and something I hope I can continue doing throughout my career.”

Ertz has been a part of the national team long enough to have seen other star players say their goodbyes, so she knew what to expect when she arrived at this camp. Yet hearing her teammates talk about the impact she’s made on them and the USWNT, and having them tell her that directly, has been emotional.

She wanted to win, of course. But Ertz wanted to play in such a way that she made the USWNT better, her presence still felt long after she was gone. To know she’s done that means everything.

Of course Ertz is sad to step away from the game she's played for so long and has given her so much. But she is leaving with gratitude, not regrets.

“You remember all the hardest times in the sport. In that moment, you’re like, `This sucks, I want this to be gone,’” Ertz said. “Now, when you’re older, you’re like, `I’m so grateful for that time.’”

And the USWNT is grateful for it, too. The team is better for her having been a part of it.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist on social media @nrarmour.