The USWNT friendlies roster includes one big surprise

The GIST: Yesterday, the USWNT dropped their final friendlies roster before the Women’s World Cup (WWC), and along with some notable but expected returnees, there was one big (and more than welcome!) surprise…

The shocker: Six hundred days after her last competitive match, defensive midfielder Julie Ertz is back. Recovering from injury and taking maternity leave, Ertz hasn’t played since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but the U.S. midfield has struggled in her absence, making her return both reassuring and risky as the squad fights for an unprecedented third WWC.

• Defender Casey Krueger, fresh off a maternity leave of her own, also made the roster, making it five working mamas on the team, an unofficial national squad record. Who run the world?

What’s next: The red, white and blue will host a pair of friendlies against Ireland in early April, the last national team games before head coach Vlatko Andonovski names his final 23-person WWC roster in June.

• Keep in mind that yesterday’s 26-person roster doesn’t include star forwards Catarina Macario and Megan Rapinoe, who are recovering from injury. Is there such a thing as too much talent?