Midfielder Ertz brings new motivation in return to US team

Says she is taking nothing for granted with a renewed passion for the sport after her long hiatus

(Reuters) - Midfielder Julie Ertz said she is driven to be a better player than she was before after being named in the United States squad for the first time since giving birth in August, with a spot at the Women's World Cup on the line.

The twice U.S. Women's Player of the Year made a surprise return to the national team for their final two friendlies, both against Ireland, before the quadrennial tournament, having not played professionally since the Tokyo Games.

Ertz, who helped the United States win the World Cup in 2015 and 2019, said she is taking nothing for granted with a renewed passion for the sport after her long hiatus.

"My career I feel like hasn't been, you know, just normal and smooth every single time because it's about just getting better each year," Ertz told reporters on Tuesday.

"I don't want to go back and be the player that I was because I want to be better."

The friendlies on Saturday and on Tuesday will be a critical last shot for players to make an impression before head coach Vlatko Andonovski names his 23-player squad.

Ertz, one of five mothers on the team for the April camp, said she has a different kind of motivation than before, with scarcely more than 100 days to go before the World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand.

"I feel good and I love the sport differently than I did then, and I thought I loved it then," said Ertz, who is in talks to sign for a few different club teams.

"But taking a step away and kind of having a new perspective has given me kind of like a new drive."

National Women's Soccer League MVP Sophia Smith, who was sidelined from national team activities earlier this year, makes her return to the fold for the matches against Ireland on Saturday, in Austin, Texas, and Tuesday, in St. Louis, Missouri.

The 22-year-old forward, one of several younger players expected to make the cut for World Cup, said that the 30-year-old Ertz brings a valuable veteran perspective.

"She's been at the highest stage. She's won everything you could win. So it's always a good thing to have someone with so much experience back in camp," said Smith, who was back in top form as she scored a hat-trick in Portland Thorns' 4-1 win over the Kansas City Current on Saturday.

"Technically, she looks like she hasn't missed a beat."