USWNT players brought to tears as NWSL gifts them personal letters

In the final days of the countdown to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the United States women’s national team experienced a sentimental surprise as they prepared to head overseas to Australia and New Zealand. 

The National Women’s Soccer League accumulated written send-off letters from loved ones of players on the USWNT. The letters brought the players to tears as they were in the final stages of preparation to head to the tournament and be away for weeks.

The USWNT is striving to make history by becoming the first team to win the World Cup for a third consecutive time, and they are the overwhelming favorites to do so. And while the players know they have an extremely supportive fan base, the encouragement of family and friends really seemed to hit home. 

[Meet the ‘badass’ OG soccer moms who blazed a trail for USWNT]

The 23-member squad ranges from the age of 18 to 38, making many of the athletes mothers, spouses or teenagers.

Alyssa Thompson, an 18-year-old midfielder, was filled with emotion reading an encouraging handwritten note only days before her first World Cup debut.

Julie Ertz, a 31-year-old midfielder, sobbed as she cherished a letter from her husband Zach Ertz, and their baby Madden. She will be embarking on her third World Cup, but her first as a new mother. 

“Watching you become a mom has been one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced in our time together,” the letter from Zach read.

“The World Cup is more than a soccer tournament,” wrote Sofia Huerta’s brother Alex. “It is a celebration of life, it is passion in its rawest form. It is art in motion. It is the pinnacle of human achievement. It reflects the hopes and dreams of the world.”

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Julie Ertz

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