The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1508023
OCTOBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 59 BY ANTHONY BROOME R obbie Mertz left the U-M men's soccer program as one of its most accomplished players in recent history, but his path to Ann Arbor was unortho- dox. The Pittsburgh native didn't have the same limelight on his high school career that other prospects did, but a chance encounter kicked off his rela- tionship to the Maize and Blue. "High school recruitment was differ- ent for me than most athletes that end up competing for Michigan," Mertz said. "I wasn't really that highly recruited. I played high school soccer. If you know anything about the youth soccer scene, that's not necessarily the highest level of youth soccer that there is. "I found it to be a struggle to gain in- terest from schools, especially Division I programs. I was really fortunate that I went with my club team to Las Vegas for an event and the Michigan staff was there. They were actually watching a game on another field and they hap- pened to turn around and start watching my game. "I guess they liked what they saw and got in contact. I went up on a visit the following week. I skipped school to go because I felt like this was an opportunity I couldn't drag my feet on, and absolutely just fell in love with the campus and ev- erything about the school from Day 1, and I was committed a month later. "I think I was ultimately really fortu- nate to be able to commit to Michigan. I was nervous, but I needed to accept the challenge because I knew it would be the biggest challenge that I'd faced in my life up to that point. I wanted to see where I stacked up against people that were considered some of the best of the best [as athletes and students]." During his time at Michigan, Mertz was a two-time captain and was twice named to the All-Big Ten team (first team in 2018 and second team in 2017) in addition to NSCA All-America honors in 2018. The Wolverines captured the program's first Big Ten regular-season title in 2017 in Mertz's junior season, his first as a captain in Ann Arbor. U-M made a pair of NCAA Tournaments on his watch, in 2017 and 2018. His group helped change the culture and push the program forward. "Being named the captain was the honor of my life and something I never would have imagined happening at a school like Michigan," Mertz said. "I know there's a really popular video of Tom Brady that circulates on the in- ternet from time to time where he said being named Michigan captain was the greatest honor he'd ever had in his ca- reer, and I totally relate to that. "It meant everything. I think I was named captain in a time that was really difficult for our program. We were un- der a lot of pressure, and we were com- ing off two disappointing seasons in my freshman and sophomore year. We were in a position where we needed to turn things around on the field. "But that started with turning around the culture of the program." Mertz credits his role in the culture change to being the connective tissue that brought members of the team to- gether. Now that he's a professional player with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League, the con- nections made in college mean even more to him in hindsight. ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Robbie Mertz Finds Professional Home In Hometown Pittsburgh Mertz continued his soccer career professionally and has found a home with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Championship league. COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS AND ROBBIE MERTZ