USWNT Star Julie Ertz Reportedly Agrees to Contract with NWSL's Angel City FC

Julie Ertz is headed to Los Angeles.

The midfielder signed with Angel City FC after returning to the U.S. women's national team for the first time in 20 months last weekend, according to the Meg Linehan and Steph Yang of The Athletic.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski told reporters at the end of March that Ertz needed to join a professional team in order for the national team to evaluate her for the 2023 World Cup.

Ertz, who has been kept from the pitch by injuries and pregnancy, last played for the national team in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Andonovski said U.S. Soccer has been in "constant communication" with Ertz as she worked to return to the team.

"In the last couple of months, Julie was training very hard," Andonovski said. "... She trained with a personal high-performance coach, with a personal technical coach, and was up to the level that a lot of professional players were training…sometimes even harder."

The four-year coach of the national team said Ertz would need to "get consistent games to give us a chance to furthermore evaluate her" before deciding if she will be on the 2023 World Cup roster.

Ertz will now be getting those reps in Angel City, which already held her rights after the Chicago Red Stars traded her ahead of the 2022 NWSL expansion draft in December 2021. Ertz never signed a contract with the team, instead announcing her first pregnancy that April. She had her son, Madden, in August.

Less than a year after giving birth, Ertz rejoined the USWNT roster for two friendlies against Ireland earlier this month.

"My body feels physically where it needs to be," Ertz told reporters before the friendlies. "I feel great."

Also gunning for a spot on the Women's World Cup roster in Angel City FC will be 18-year-old forward Alyssa Thompson and veteran Christen Press, Ertz's former Chicago teammate. The Los Angeles club hits the pitch next Wednesday to face the OL Reign in the group stage of the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Team USA will release final rosters ahead of the Women's World Cup, which is set to take place in Australia and New Zealand this July.