Tag: Abby Erceg

Before the Final: Quotes from Abby Erceg, Jess McDonald and McCall Zerboni

Posted on by RJ Allen

Abby Erceg

Backline: So, championship, second year in a row, sort of. Is there that same feeling as last year? Or do you guys think of this as sort of a different team? 

Erceg: No, I think we have 75% of the players from last year. So other than the rebranding I think it’s more or less the same team. We treat it as the same team. We treat the history the same as you would if a club was obviously the same name. So this for most of us is our second championship consecutively regardless of the name. Regardless of whether or not you’ve won one before, I think you have to put that aside and focus on what’s happening this year because last year’s championship isn’t going to win you this year’s championship, unfortunately. But yeah, we do treat it like it’s the same team. 

Backline: So, championship, second year in a row, sort of. Is there that same feeling as last year? Or do you guys think of this as sort of a different team? 

Erceg: No, I think we have 75% of the players from last year. So other than the rebranding I think it’s more or less the same team. We treat it as the same team. We treat the history the same as you would if a club was obviously the same name. So this for most of us is our second championship consecutively regardless of the name. Regardless of whether or not you’ve won one before, I think you have to put that aside and focus on what’s happening this year because last year’s championship isn’t going to win you this year’s championship, unfortunately. But yeah, we do treat it like it’s the same team. 

Backline: Is there a little bit of that comfort that a lot of your players have gone through a championship before? You don’t maybe have the same amount of nerves. I’m sure there’s nerves, but it’s not that first time you’ve sort of played on that stage. 

Erceg: Yeah, I think that’s a really good thing about it. It just seals the nerves a little bit. We know exactly what to expect. We know what’s going on. We know that it’s going ot be a little disruptive and not the same kind of build up that we have for normal games. So I think having that does help a little bit. You’re obviously going to have the nerves going into a game anyway. But I think it does help. 

Backline: You had the home semi this year. Was that something North Carolina’s first home semi in the league – was that sort of a nice thing to give back to the fans? 

Erceg: Yeah, I’ve played with Chicago and we had a home game there, and it’s kind of the exact same thing. You work so hard throughout the season. Obviously being with North Carolina for the first time you want to give something back to the fans and to everybody that’s supported us. SO I think coming to the championship is a really nice way to do that. 

Backline: Now there is something unusual this year. Both center backs on Portland are Emilys, both center backs on North Carolina are Abbys, is there just a little bit of that sort of weirdness of it? 

Erceg: Yeah, I think just playing with Abby last year, playing with two center backs called Abby, you don’t see that everyday. Even now, it’s weird. But the fact that we’ve got two teams like that. I mean, coincidence, maybe? 

Backline: A little bit about your relationship with Abby [Dahlkemper], sort of your partnership. Has that grown as she’s gotten some national team experience to sort of bring that back in? You yourself have a long history of experience. 

Erceg: Yeah, I think having played with her the first year, I didn’t get to play alongside her. I obviously played the midfield in front of her. We did a lot of switching, we did a lot of changes of formation trying to figure out who went where and what fit best with each other. I think this year hitting it, we know exactly where people fit and who fits best with each other and I think me and Ab have been able to build that relationship from the start. The way that she plays is a lot similar to me. We’re both more on the aggressive side rather than the conservative side so the way that she plays makes it easier for me to as well, I can read her, and I think it works really well together. 

Jess McDonald

Backline: So how are you feeling going into the final? I’ll get the boring question out of the way first.

McDonald: Feeling excited! I’m pumped to be here, obviously the whole team is so. It’s just cool to be back in the championship again. 

Backline: With Duke and UNC right there, is that helpful having a local pro team that those players – they can go to games, the UNC women can just come to a game as a block and watch you guys on the field as professionals. Does that sort of make it more real for the college players do you think? 

McDonald: Oh, most certainly! And the most incredible thing is that a lot of them have actually come and trained with us. So it’s cool to have them throughout the summer time to give them a piece of what the pro game is like. And so I think it’s just a cool experience for those type of college players overall to not only join in at our games and watch us, but to join us at training and to improve their football on the field. So it’s cool to watch them mature as well as players. I think it’s just an absolutely incredible thing for each program. 

Backline: One thing that we’re sort of getting to in the NWSL that we didn’t have in previous leagues. If you came into college as a freshman, and you’re about to graduate, you’ve had the NWSL every year you’ve been in college. Is that stability key to players? They can plan, “yeah, they want to go pro.” vs. “I don’t know if the leagues’ going to be there when I graduate college.” 

McDonald: Definitely! And I feel as if, if you have something like that to look forward to, you’ll want to improve your game. You’ll want to try to be the best player out there, obviously. So I think it’s cool to see how they have a plan to become a pro soccer plan, whereas when I was younger, when I was a freshman in college, we didn’t have a league. So I didn’t have that to look forward to. But for these college players now, that’s something to look forward to. I think it’s just a lot better of a feel. And obviously, parents always want their kids to become pro at whatever sport that they play, so. I know it’s only a small percentage but I just think it’s gonna help college players stay motivated.

Backline: Speaking of mother-son relationships, are you and your son going to be the first mother-son cap of the US? Is that the goal? 

McDonald: I hope so! That would be great! Yeah! 

McCall Zerboni

Backline: So Dan Lauletta put out an interesting stat, I think it was there’s been 3 years or 2 years since 2009 that neither you or Paul hasn’t been in the playoffs. Is that sort of one of those things where you guys have that experience that you can help some of the younger players sort of– it’s just another game guys, you know, you don’t have to–

Zerboni: I hope so, yeah. We’re a fairly young squad, and you know sometimes nerves can work into these things, or expectations get the best of us. But it’s just another game. And people just need to remember that. Nothing’s changed. it’s still a 90+ minute game, it’s still 120 by 75, it’s on a beautiful grass field, it’s what we’ve been doing, what most of us have been doing since we were 5, 6, 7 years old. So just to remind them why we do this, and it’s because we love it, and we should go out there and enjoy ourselves and not freak out. 

Backline: One interesting bit that you sort of touched on is that you have a lot of UCLA players on this team. Is there a little bit of that connection that helps that you guys have that UCLA background? 

Zerboni: You know, our generations were different. Like I never played with the young ones. But you know, a group of them did play together, so I’m sure that helps. I think it’s more fun for like banter, you know we banter all the time. Like oh, if you’re on UCLA, you can’t be in this box over here, you know so we kind of joke around, stuff like that. But yeah, I mean maybe a little bit, just kinda gets us on the same page, or that we have a little something in common, that helps, because we come from all different parts of the world and all different backgrounds, and the more and more we can find commonalities and realize our common goal, that’s helpful. 

Backline: You and Abby seem to have some experience. Does that help having another sort of player that’s not 21, 22, just sort of be like, okay – we’re going to talk about mortgages and about life. 

Zerboni: Yes (laughs). So that’s why I really appreciate her. So since Nora came in, we’ve just really bonded. I think not so much because of our age and our experience, but I mean she’s an amazing person, and we just sort of have the same take on life, and we’ve both been through a lot. And sometimes it was just me and Jess or whoever and so, I’m like, “Anyone? Anyone gotta pay their bills today? No one? okay.” Or, “remember when this happened, or remember when this song came out?” or just to have someone to relate to, to kind of help me lead the troops is helpful. 

The Unknown International: Abby Erceg

Posted on by RJ Allen
Kelley Piper

While the NWSL is the American soccer league, many of its best players come from all around the world. This series looks at some of those players who have come from outside of the U.S. and looks at their style of play and how they have featured for their club and country.

This article will look at North Carolina Courage and New Zealand defender Abby Erceg.

Who Is She?

Abby Erceg is a central defender who plays for the North Carolina Courage. She is the former captain of the New Zealand national team, having retired from international football earlier this year as a form of protest, claiming that the national federation undervalues New Zealand’s women’s team. She is an experienced professional, playing for the Football Ferns since 2006. Odds are you have heard her name–after all, she captained the NWSL champions last season and has been in the league for about three years. While I recognize that Erceg is not an unknown player, this article will seek to highlight the details of her career that fans may be less familiar with.

The Football Ferns

Erceg made her debut with the New Zealand National Team in 2006, in a match against China. In her 11 year career with the Ferns, she competed in two Olympics and three World Cups. Her 130 appearances are the most of any New Zealand National Team player, male or female. Early in her career, she played a record 37 consecutive matches for her national team, setting her on the path towards a record-breaking career. Beyond her skill with the ball, she is also a consistently strong and vocal leader that helps lHer decision to retire came from disagreements with the New Zealand Football Federation, which Erceg claims did not value and support the women’s side.  Specifically, Erceg took issue with the fact that the federation decided to reduce funding to the women’s side after they failed to make it past the group stage at the 2016 Olympics. She said in a post on Instagram that one of her main goals with the Ferns was to create a livable working environment and that New Zealand had shown a lack of willingness to make that goal a reality. Many in the football community deemed her a “legend” in New Zealand football and credited her with being a massive contributor to the growth of the women’s game. She served as their captain starting in 2014 and played her final matches with the team at the Cyprus Cup earlier this year. 

North Carolina Courage

Erceg got her first taste of the NWSL in 2014 when she was loaned out to the Chicago Red Stars by Jena, her team in the Frauen-Bundesliga. She signed with the Chicago after leaving Jena in May 2014 but was then traded to the Western New York Flash in 2015. Last season, she made 18 starts in 19 total appearances and captained the Western New York Flash to an NWSL Championship. During the offseason, the Western New York Flash were rebranded as the North Carolina Courage, and Erceg became captain of the new team in Cary. She has made 15 starts in 15 appearances so far this season. She is often credited as being the anchor of the Courage defense.  Erceg mainly plays alongside Abby Dahlkemper, who has received a few call-ups by the U.S Women’s National Team after drawing some attention during the Flash’s run to the NWSL Championship.  They have become one of the best center back tandems in the league, and their strength has helped lead to North Carolina’s 10 shutouts in 18 matches this season.  To say that Erceg plays a critical role on her club team is putting it lightly–and considering they are in first place in the NWSL, I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job. Erceg rarely misses a chance to make an impact for her club and will do whatever it takes to help get her team back to the NWSL Championship.