The Unpredictable Life and Surprising Times of Julie Ertz
Julie Ertz hates losing and she’ll do anything to help her team win, including changing positions whenever they need her to. And, somehow, she’s still the team’s most important player.
This story originally ran in issue 17 of Howler. On December 15, 2019, Ertz was named U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year. After this story ran, she helped the U.S. win the 2019 World Cup.
AS JULIE ERTZ WALKED DOWN the maze-like tunnels in the underbelly of Winnipeg Stadium, the murmur of the crowd grew louder. She had already put on her number 19 jersey, slid her shinguards under her socks and tied her cleats, ready to start her first World Cup game. Long before kickoff, the crowd began chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A!” She could hear it from the locker room, a whisper of swelling sound, but as she clicked her cleats down the long hallways towards the field, it grew in decibel and intensity. She waited with her teammates in the tunnel just out of the adoring fans’ view. TV cameras got their preamble shot, FIFA representatives mugged for the cameras, and officials waited for the precise moment to send them out as the roar of 31,000 fans cheering for one team grew.
