The midfielder is back with the USWNT just months ahead of the World Cup as she looks to make a late run into Vlatko Andonovski's squad.

Julie Ertz is back for the U.S. women's national team, just in time for a pair of friendlies against the Republic of Ireland.

It's been nearly two years since we've seen Ertz in an USWNT shirt, and also nearly two years since we've seen her on the field in any capacity. The Ertz that returns is much different than the one we last saw in the Olympics. She's now a mother, having stepped away from the game to start a family and, ultimately, find a whole new perspective on life.

For so long, it seemed that there was little chance that she would be involved with the USWNT going forward, with Vlatko Andonovski admitting as much earlier this year. Despite an Ertz-sized hole in the USWNT midfield remaining a talking point, it didn't look like Ertz would be ready or willing to return anytime soon.

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But, with the World Cup just three-and-a-half months from kicking off, Ertz is back on the squad to potentially make a late run that could completely alter the dynamic of the USWNT as we know it.

GettyThe decision to return

It wasn't always a foregone conclusion that Ertz would be back in camp. In fact, for quite some time, it looked like an impossibility.

After giving birth to her son in August, Ertz's body, obviously, was in a different place than it was when she was at the peak on the field. Pregnancy does that, not just physically but emotionally. Having started a family that now includes a newborn son, would Ertz rediscover the itch to get back to being one of the best midfielders in the world?

As it turns out, the answer was yes. After a conversation with her husband, NFL star Zach Ertz, the midfielder realized that she wanted to make a comeback.

"There was a moment, I can't really give you the exact date in my head, but I know that I was sitting on the couch with my husband and my baby and we talked about everything," Ertz said. "Like having a baby, the process of having a baby, life, wanting to play but like how does it work logistically with making sure my family is there? It's all that and anyone who has gone through that process of coming back to work, it's challenging and I would say extremely emotional."

Part of the motivation to get back was the possibility of playing at another World Cup, of course, with this summer's tournament a chance to appear in the tournament for a third time.

But Ertz was also motivated by watching her husband play in the NFL.

"In the back of your head, it's hard to not have that itch when you're just so used to being so competitive and especially having a professional athlete as a husband when you just see him being in that competitive environment and watching his games," Ertz said. "I just kind of enjoyed the process and I took it in even smaller increments like, 'Okay, I'm gonna get better this week'. Obviously, I think it's easy to look ahead and always be like, 'Yeah, going to World Cup is amazing', but it's not as easy as it is said.

"I've been blessed to be able to go to a few and enjoyed that process, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesStudent of the game

Having been out of action for some time, Ertz knew getting her body ready to compete would be a major challenge. On that front, Ertz says she feels "great".

“My body feels, physically, where it needs to be,” she said.

However, Ertz's may face a bigger challenge: readjusting mentally after so long away.

Ertz is hopping back into the picture at a tough time with the World Cup just around the corner. There are new faces in camp and several tactical tweaks that she watched from afar during her time away.

Now, though, Ertz says she's working closely with Vlatko Andonovski to play catchup in a process that has involved watching hours and hours of film.

“I’ve been in really good conversations with Vlatko, just what they’ve been looking at, what they’ve been trying to do about each game,” said Ertz. “It’s been a little bit different from game to game, so it’s been fun listening to what he sees, and allowing [me] to ask questions.

"It's kind of been a fun, I wouldn't say a challenge, but it's just a different way, obviously, of approaching it but at the same time, it's the same because, when it comes to World Cup time, it's all about details."

She continued: "I loved being a student of the game, even prior, but this time, it was focusing on everything else, and getting my body back as well. And then, making sure to have that part where I can really focus on what [the USWNT] were doing tactically, even if I wasn’t there physically.”

Getty ImagesA fit in midfield

Since her departure, the USWNT has been looking for someone to fill the Julie Ertz role. Thus far, the search has been unsuccessful.

Now, it'll be Ertz herself looking to fill that role and, if she can play to even a percentage of her prior level, there's a chance she may just win the job back. According to USWNT teammate Sophia Smith, Ertz very much looks like her old self, though.

"I think she has shown the world just how special she is and I think having her back in camp is great for all of us," Smith said. "I think it's exciting. Obviously, she's a talented player. She's been at the highest stage. She's won everything she could win, so it's always a good thing to have someone with so much experience back in camp and I think it's great that she took the time she needed to be a mom and figure out what it was that she wanted. To have her back in camp, it's really exciting."

Andi Sullivan, Taylor Kornieck, Kristie Mewis and Ashley Sanchez could see their roles or World Cup spots threatened by Ertz's return, adding a new layer to a midfield picture that is perhaps the USWNT"s biggest question mark heading towards the World Cup.

GettyNewfound appreciation

Ertz is far from the only mother in the USWNT squad. In fact, there are several.

Casey Krueger, Crystal Dunn, Adrianna Franch and Alex Morgan are all also mothers, giving the USWNT an unofficial record of five parents in camp. Ertz has watched on as several teammates have accomplished what she is now setting out to do, although without the backdrop of a World Cup looming large, and she say she now understands just how hard it is to come back after giving birth.

"It feels like almost a team within a team," Ertz said. "You see the moms and seeing the babies together at dinners, lunches and food times and just around the hotel is cool. I feel like I get choked up and emotional because I had so much respect for them, and now it’s like a whole different level of like, 'oh my gosh, you have no idea.'”

“I had no idea of the behind the scenes of stuff that they go through and so I’m grateful for it all. They really inspired me and I'm hoping and I'm sure they've inspired other moms as well."