USWNT standout Julie Ertz joins Angel City FC on a one-year contract

The Julie Ertz Era at Angel City was far from memorable. The club acquired the rights to the two-time World Cup champion in a December 2021 trade with the Chicago Red Stars but Ertz never so much as tried on a uniform, stepping away from the game to give birth to her first child, a boy, last August.

In the meantime, the team’s rights to Ertz expired and the midfielder became a free agent.

Now she’s back, having signed a one-year contract with Angel City, the club announced Monday. Ertz is expected to join the team in training this week and her first match could be Sunday against the San Diego Wave.

“At Angel City the expectations are extremely high and I’m excited to put myself in that environment,” said Ertz, who remained in communication with Angel City during her absence. “They have created an incredible culture around the club and you can see it through the enjoyment of the players, coaches and supporters. This is a place every player wants to thrive in.”

Ertz, 31, played in the bronze-medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021 but went 611 days before playing in another competitive game. Many assumed she had retired before her surprise call-up to the national team last month, leading to back-to-back appearances against Ireland earlier this month. She hasn’t played in a club game since spraining her medial collateral ligament in the Red Stars’ 2021 season opener.

Ertz, who has been training on her own, is returning to NWSL in an effort to get game-fit for this summer’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand. Ertz played all but 157 minutes in the national team’s last 14 World Cup matches, helping the U.S. to two titles.

“She needed to join a professional team to get consistent games to give us a chance to furthermore evaluate her before the World Cup. She will do that,” U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said.

“We know the quality of the player that she’s [been], and that if she comes anywhere near her best, that she will certainly help us win a World Cup,” Andonovski added.

A two-time U.S. Soccer player of the year, Ertz has made 118 international appearances, playing in two Olympics in addition to the two World Cups. She was the third overall pick in the 2014 NWSL draft and played seven seasons in Chicago, making 95 appearances.