Michael Wilson, Zach Ertz Have Personal Interest In U.S. Success At World Cup

Pass catchers trying to focus on camp while significant others chase trophy

Jul 31, 2023 at 01:31 PM

Zach Gershman

The Cardinals have two players with connections with the U.S. women's national team, which is playing the World Cup right now: wide receiver Michael Wilson (left), who is in a relationship with Sophia Smith, and tight end Zach Ertz, who is married to Julie Ertz and sported her replica jersey earlier in camp.

Michael Wilson played soccer until he was 11 years old, but wide receiver has a personal reason why his interest in the sport has only gotten stronger.

Since Wilson's sophomore year at Stanford, he has been in a relationship with Sophia Smith, the reigning MVP of the National Women's Soccer League and the star of the U.S. Women's National team, which plays the final match of World Cup pool play early Tuesday morning.

"Being with Sophia since I was 18, I've been able to experience first-hand the rise of a superstar," Wilson said after a recent practice. "It has truly been an honor to be by her side while she's able to accomplish all that stuff."

Smith is looking to continue adding to those accomplishments with her U.S. teammates, which includes Julie Ertz -- wife of Wilson's teammate, tight end Zach Ertz.

"Having Zach (Ertz) here helps a lot because he had to do pretty much the exact same thing with Julie (Ertz)," Wilson said.

There are a lot of similarities between Wilson and Ertz. Both are not only Cardinals but also Stanford alumni. Ertz also quipped that they are "20 percent of the significant others of the outfield players at the World Cup."

U.S. women's national team members Julie Ertz (left) and Sophia Smith.

Two weeks before the NFL draft, Ertz and Wilson had one of their first interactions at the USA vs. Ireland match in Texas.

"I introduced Sophia to Zach, and we all met and he's like 'Good luck wherever you end up, let's keep in touch,'" Wilson said. "I ended up with the Cardinals and he texted me right away and was like 'I'm so happy that you're here.'"

The two-time defending World Cup champion U.S. team is trying to advance to the knockout stage with a win or draw against Portugal.

"Obviously, we want them to win every time, but we also want them to play extremely well," Ertz said. "I'll be watching as much as I can, but obviously, we're here to play football."

Ertz is still on his recovery to getting on the field, having started training camp on the PUP list after his ACL surgery.

"The goal is to hopefully be activated in the next couple of weeks," Ertz said. "I'm looking forward to that day. I'm busting my butt every day. Ever since I got hurt and after surgery, it's been daily deposits that I've tried to get myself better."

As for Wilson, he said the summer's OTAs gave him confidence for training camp.

"Going in knowing exactly what to expect and just continuing to attack every day be deliberate and intentional," Wilson said. "From every interaction I have to every time I take a rep. My number one goal is still earning the trust of the coaches, earning the respect of my teammates, and making every single opportunity I have count."