Julie Ertz, a two-time World Cup winner, and Christian Pulisic, a one-time Gold Cup runner-up, were named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2020, announced Tuesday. The annual list recognizes high-performing individuals under the age of 30. Last year, Crystal Dunn was the lone soocer player selected.
Introducing the sports world's brightest young stars: https://t.co/cPsIiRRDQh #ForbesUnder30 pic.twitter.com/mb7h9PeYG5
— Forbes (@Forbes) December 4, 2019
Despite the name, the 30 Under 30 isn’t limited to 30 people. Instead, Forbes has some 20 different categories in which it picks about 30 youngish people to honor, creating a list well over 600 people strong, all of whom are located in either the U.S. or Canada because Forbes can’t be bothered with looking beyond its own region. It’s a yearly reminder to people over 30 of how little they’ve accomplished in life compared to these kids, some of whom have already made more money than most people will make their entire lives.
One of the 30 Under 30 categories is sports, which has to be the most competitive list to make it on considering most athletes peak before they hit 30, unless you’re a freak like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Kazuyoshi Miura. Other categories include Finance, Music, Media, Science, Education, Food & Drink, Games and the star-studded world of Venture Capital. (You can check out the full list here.)
Forbes 30 Under 30 Soccer
Julie Ertz was the lone USWNT representative on the list. At 27, she’s already starred on two Women’s World Cup-winning squads, anchoring the defense in 2015 and the midfield in 2019.
While one of the best (and perhaps most underrated) players in the world, Ertz was also recognized by Forbes in part due to her off-field work. Along with her husband, Zach Ertz, who plays football in some small league called the NFL, Julie runs the Ertz Family Foundation to support Philadelphia charities and help Haitian orphans pay for education. Ertz has also been a big proponent, along with the rest of her teammates, in the fight for equal pay in women’s soccer.
This is such an honor!!! Thank you @Forbes for this and for recognizing the work of the Ertz Family Foundation! What a crazy year! https://t.co/NR3fC92fm7
— Julie Johnston Ertz (@julieertz) December 4, 2019
The other soccer player on the list is former wonderboy Christian Pulisic. Now a seasoned veteran at 21, Pulisic became the most-expensive U.S. soccer player ever when he moved from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea with a $73 million fee in January.
Also, he’s a pretty decent footballer, so that earned him a spot on the list, I guess. And he knows Ninja.
Had the pleasure of meeting @cpulisic_10 tonight and having dinner. What an incredible dude, keep killing it brother. And we are definitely getting some Fortnite games in man. pic.twitter.com/7Wh8fZTSGc
— Ninja (@Ninja) November 21, 2019
Ninja, 28, was not among the 30 Under 30 for Gaming, perhaps because he’s old hat now that he’s hanging out with ancient folks like Trevor Noah instead of young kids on Twitch. No FIFA gamers were on the list either, as the gamers selected almost all played Fortnite.
One more soccer-related young person did make the list under Sports: attorney Scott Sherman. The 28-year-old has been involved in the USWNT’s gender equity lawsuit, among other notable labor lawsuits in U.S. sports. He probably makes more money than the USWNT players do.
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