Ertz, 31, stepped on the pitch one last time on Sept. 21 against the Republic of South Africa, while Rapinoe, 38, finished her career with the team on Sept. 24, also against South Africa. ESPN explained that Rapinoe’s farewell game brought a record number of attendees in National Women’s Soccer League history to a USWNT game, coming in at 34,130.
Ertz started her career for the USWNT in 2013 as a defender under her maiden name, Johnson. In the 10 years of her national team career, she played 123 games, had 20 goals — 10 being headers — and six assists.
Over her career, Ertz received U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year twice, first in 2017 and again in 2019, and the Bronze Ball in 2012. According to U.S. Soccer’s website, Julie is also the 16th player to return to the team after becoming a mother, returning less than eight months after giving birth.
“Julie Ertz had a child and still came back to play in the World Cup,” said Ashley Meyer, president of GC Women’s Club Soccer. “She was one of the best athletes on the field, never backing down on any play, and I think that really inspired a lot of younger female athletes.”
Rapinoe, on the other hand, started her career with the squad back in 2006. During her career, she appeared in 203 games, 73 assists and scored 63 goals, which ranks her No. 10 for the USWNT.
Rapinoe’s 2019 season alone earned her more recognition than many receive in their whole career. According to the Olympics’ website, this season alone, she received both the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot at the World Cup, FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, the France Football Ballon d’Or and the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year.
Both helped lead the national team to two FIFA World Cup gold medals, in 2015 and 2019, and the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics. Rapinoe was also part of the 2012 USWNT, who won gold at the London Olympics, while Ertz was part of the gold-winning FIFA under-20 U.S. squad.
“Both had such great attitudes on and off the field,” Meyer said. “They were such big role models to little girls who had dreams to one day play for the US women’s team.”
Not only were they great players on the field, but they also impacted equality in sports, as both were also part of the equal pay movement. Rapinoe was one of the players that led this movement in 2016, filing an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Again, in 2019, Rapinoe, along with 27 other players — including Ertz — filed a similar lawsuit against the federation. These lawsuits came after the men’s team continued to make significantly more money and had better working conditions than the women’s team.
The women’s team claimed in these lawsuits that since they continued to outperform the men’s team, they deserved equal pay and opportunities as them. After six years, the team was awarded $24 million from the federation.
Because of this fight for equality and being an advocate for racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights, she became the first soccer player to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022, from President Joe Biden.
While these players will be missed greatly on the team, their careers have inspired women of all ages tremendously in the world of soccer — and for overall equality for all.
