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As the US women\u2019s national team is preparing to take on the Republic of Ireland this week, Julie Ertz took the time to talk to the media about her return to the team post pregnancy. <\/p>\n Ertz stressed that she is not satisfied with coming back and being the player that she used to be \u2013 she wants to be better: \u201cI\u2019ve learned that pressure is a privilege. There\u2019s always been pressure in any position, any time of my career. My career, I feel like hasn\u2019t been just normal and smooth every single time because it\u2019s about just getting better each year and I want to come back and be\u2014I don\u2019t even wanna go back and be the player that I was because I want to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n Ertz stated that she was in communications with a few teams, and should be finalizing a NWSL contract soon, however she decided not to comment when asked which of the 12 teams she was in contact with. She said that she was, \u201ctrying to stay focused on the games coming up, but also knowing that I need a club team.\u201d <\/p>\n In regards to the decision to rejoin the national team, Ertz said: \u201cI\u00a0think clearly the love for the game is hard to step away from. Obviously coming back from pregnancy changes things, obviously your body. So I just wanted to make sure when I was coming back that I felt like I was strong enough to be able to feel like I could be myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know the first few months, like I would just stare at him and be like, \u2018oh my gosh, how do people come to work?\u201d Ertz said of the decision to come back to the national team post maternity leave. \u201cI think the emotions of that and after having a baby and all your hormones and everything. So yes, of course it\u2019s not easy.\u201d She attributed the ability to come back to her amazing support system, and how her family and husband, Zach, have been \u201cunbelievably supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been so grateful to really actually enjoy this challenge because it was like I wanted to get back to myself and comfortable and be a great mom. So obviously that was my focus first and foremost.\u201d With Zach Ertz being in a competitive environment and going to his NFL games, Ertz added, \u201cIn the back of your head, it\u2019s hard to not have that itch, when you\u2019re just so used to being so competitive and especially having a professional athlete as a husband.\u201d<\/p>\n As to how close she is to game shape, Ertz responded: \u201cI feel really good. I have been training and making sure that my body feels physically where it needs to be. Being in this environment, I kind of know where my body was before. So I do feel really good. And obviously getting played in is part of that as well, but I feel great.\u201d<\/p>\n When probed further on the mental side of the game, Ertz explained \u201cI\u2019m in a good head space to just understand, to give myself a little bit of grace. But overall, I feel like being in this environment, the game and really the mental side has always been the hardest section, especially being with such elite players day in, day out. That almost was the one that I wanted to really focus on coming in here. Coming back, pregnant or not, five years ago you have good days and bad days, and it\u2019s just making sure that you can control what you can control. The technical side is what you can control. The mental side I wanted to make sure that I was focused on as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Ertz hasn\u2019t been on the roster in a while, she hasn\u2019t been out of contact with the coaching staff. \u201cI\u2019ve been in really good conversations with Vlatko, kind of what they\u2019ve been looking at, what they\u2019ve been trying to do, about each game. I know that they\u2019ve tried a few different things in previous games and it\u2019s been a little bit different from game to game. So, it\u2019s been fun listening to what he sees and allowing me to ask questions. And, it\u2019s been a fun \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t say a challenge \u2013 it\u2019s just a different way obviously of approach. But at the same time [it\u2019s] the same because when it comes to a World Cup time, it\u2019s all about details.\u201d<\/p>\n Of Ertz\u2019s goal to come back a better player she said, \u201cI\u2019m proud of the player that I have been able to be, but at the same time, it\u2019s just hard to just be complacent, I guess. It\u2019s just not in this team\u2019s DNA to do that and it trickles off to every individual here.\u201d<\/p>\n US women\u2019s national team head coach Vlatko Andonocski spoke last week of Ertz\u2019s call-up: \u201cWe\u2019re excited to have Julie back. We know the quality of the player that she\u2019s at and that if she comes anywhere near her best, that she will certainly help us win a World Cup.\u201d Of her potentially making the World Cup roster, Andonovski continued by saying, \u201cshe needs to come in, she needs to prove herself. We are gonna be a little bit patient, as we can afford to be at this moment, to give her a chance to get back, to give her a chance to acclimate herself and we\u2019ll give her a chance to acclimate herself in the new market once she signs a professional contract.\u201d<\/p>\n Ertz spent a solid amount of time thanking the mothers on the team that went before her and both inspired her to do it as well as paved the path to allow for the resources that the players currently have. \u201cI feel like I have to shout out Cheyna Matthews \u2013 she\u2019s with the Red Stars now \u2013 who has three boys and she is just been tremendous and walking through what she\u2019s learned through her process and what an incredible mom she is, [and is on] the Jamaican national team. And also Kealia Watt, we\u2019ve been training together and it\u2019s nice to be able to have somebody there that also understands, but also pushes you and knows where you kind of want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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