Julie Ertz, for most of 2017, has been battling for her place with the U.S. national team. Now it seems like Jill Ellis could use a few of her out there.
The 25-year-old, who brilliantly partnered with Becky Sauerbrunn in central defense en route to 2015 Women's World Cup glory, earned just one start in the Americans' first nine matches of 2017. As Ellis experimented with a 3-5-2 formation and auditioned new options at center back, Ertz found herself out of favor.
Then came her goal-scoring appearance off the bench in a dramatic 4-3 win over Brazil at the Tournament of Nations in July.