ORLANDO, Fla. -- Julie Ertz became the 40th United States women's national team player to earn the 100th cap of her career when she started against England in the SheBelieves Cup on Thursday.
Since making her international debut in 2013, Ertz has become an integral part of the team with her physicality and overall smarts. Captain Carli Lloyd called her the team's anchor in the midfield, and coach Vladtko Andonovski said, "Julie Ertz may be the most important player on this squad."
For Ertz, it was all still a little hard to believe after the 2-0 victory.
"I still remember my first cap that I ever had so to get to 100, there's times in your career when you don't think you're going to quite get there, so I don't know you forget it once you're out there, but I'm excited to get the win especially on my 100th cap," Ertz said. "It was really cool and such an honor."
Ertz has played across the midfield in various roles, and her toughness sets the tone for so much of what she does and makes her one of the most recognizable players on the national team. But it's not as if her first cap was a sign of things to come, either.
"I was in for three minutes, and I'm pretty sure I shin-cleared a ball and that was my only touch -- but memorable to say the least," she said with a smile.
An absolute honor to reach 100 caps tonight!! A great win with the BEST teammates. I also have to mention how special our anthem was tonight lead by the @AmericanOutlaws. One of the coolest moments in my career. 🧢 thank you @USWNT I really love wearing this crest ❤️🤍💙 https://t.co/oB1ZIVOaBY
— Julie Johnston Ertz (@julieertz) March 6, 2020
After that call-up in 2013, Ertz played in only five games until March 2015. Though she started on the 2015 World Cup squad, it took several more years for her stellar career to take hold. Last year, she scored her first World Cup goal, and was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
"I've seen her go through some highs and lows like we all have throughout this journey. It's not easy but she's persevered through some challenging situations," Lloyd said.
"She has amazing character, is a really, really good teammate but she leaves it out on the field every single game. She'll do whatever it takes, whatever role she's in, whether she's in the back, whether she's in the midfield, whether you throw her up top she's going to do it to the best of her ability."
Andonovski, who started working with the national team last October after Jill Ellis stepped down, had seen Ertz play many times. But it wasn't until he took over as coach that it hit him how truly special she is to the team.
"I didn't know that until I started working with this team but the more we work, and more we play and more games we get, I just start getting the feeling this team revolves around her," he said. "She's the glue defensively and she's a go-to person offensively and besides that, she's a true professional and student of the game."