litman lake
College football and soccer analyst
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The World Cup is the perfect setting for a presentation.
Like Brandi Chastain in 1999, Carli Lloyd in 2015, or Megan Rapinoe in 2019, a soccer player here has the unique opportunity to catapult her career with the right performance.
Rose Lavelle knows it.
Four years ago, Lavelle, then a 24-year-old center midfielder for the United States women’s national team but largely unknown to the average fan, had a great moment to seal victory in the World Cup final.
The USA held a narrow 1-0 lead over the Netherlands, the same team it ironically faces in the second game of the 2023 group stage on Wednesday in Wellington, New Zealand (coverage begins at 7 p.m.
Dribbling with pace, she faced off against Dutch defender Stefanie Van der Gragt, and as she reached the top of the penalty area, Lavelle fired a powerful left-footed shot past goalkeeper Sar Van Veendendaal. The force of the shot sent Lavelle down after hitting the ball, but when he saw him go into the net, he jumped into the arms of teammate Alex Morgan and screamed.
Rose Lavelle’s goal seals the 2019 World Cup final for the USWNT
The goal clinched back-to-back World Cup titles for the Americans. Lavelle won the Bronze Ball as the third best player in the tournament and was named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI, officially establishing herself as one of the USWNT’s most exciting players for the future.
The thing about having a defining moment at the World Cup, though, is that it naturally raises questions about what you’re going to do next. For Lavelle, expectations have not been the same since. Can he seize that moment in 2019 and become an everyday star to help the USWNT win its fifth World Cup and third in a row?
That scene four years ago became hype for this summer’s tournament, where Lavelle looks to play a big part once again. This time, of course, he is older (28) and a more familiar face. His jersey has been spotted by fans walking around New Zealand. But her teammates think she’s ready to accept a starring role.
“I think she’s just accepting it,” USA captain Lindsey Horan told FOX Sports earlier this year. (The 2019 tournament) was a huge moment for her and the team, and it shows how hard someone worked to get to that moment and own it.
“Now it’s like, can you do that every game and be that player for our team?”
It looked like his 2023 tournament would get off to a slow start.
Lavelle suffered what manager Vlatko Andonovski described as a “knock” to the knee during a friendly against Ireland in early April and then suffered a setback. She didn’t play at all in the run-up to the World Cup, neither for her club, OL Reign, nor for the USWNT in two other warm-up games.
“It’s been a tough couple of months,” Lavelle said.
Rose Lavelle is ranked #9 on Aly Wagner’s 25 Greatest Players list
He started on the bench for the USWNT’s opener against Vietnam on Friday. It wasn’t a total surprise, given that Andonovski had said that he would need to increase his minutes over the course of the tournament. But when Lavelle was substituted onto the field in the 63rd minute, she made an immediate impact, injecting energy and flair into a somewhat disjointed performance by the USWNT.
She tried out signature moves, like the “cruyff” that elicited an audible half gasp/half cheer from the crowd. She sent a rocket towards the goal which she bounced off the crossbar. A header later went just over the goalpost. She had opportunities and was seen as the standout player that fans have come to appreciate.
After the 3-0 win, Lavelle said he was “very happy” and “it’s felt really good”.
“Every time you’re away for a while, I think you realize how much you love and miss something,” she said. “That was the case.”
Will he regain his starting job against the Netherlands in the second game for the United States? The decisive final rematch of 2019 will effectively determine who wins Group E, which is what the US wants to do to avoid tougher opponents in the knockout round.
The USWNT could use Lavelle’s finesse and slippery ability to get out of sticky situations on the field and create chances, especially against the Dutch, who pose a more tactical and physical threat than Vietnam.
“I’m ready for anything,” said Lavelle, who is often described by his teammates as a “spark plug,” a game changer. “I got back into shape pretty quickly, which is good. But I told (Vlatko) I’m ready and ready for whatever he needs from me.”
“First time Team USA will be tested defensively” — Ari Hingst on the Netherlands game
Lavelle is an asset to the Americans because he brings something to the field that many players around the world cannot. Technical ability comes naturally. She is ultra creative. She changes the dynamic and brings cohesion to the attack just by being on the field.
A non-soccer fan could watch it and enjoy the show. Just look for clips of her backheel assists to Morgan in a friendly against New Zealand in January.
“She’s weird,” Rapinoe told FOX Sports. “I’ve never played anyone like Rose in my entire career, club or country. She just glides. There are things she can do that no one else can. She has the ability to run for 65 yards, like, that’s crazy. She just plays with a certain style. She’s left-handed. There’s a certain style that she plays with that’s very different from everyone else.
“She’s so small, but she’s like the toughest player,” Rapinoe continued. “She runs on her toes, she’s cheeky, and she just has an elusive, slippery way about her that you’re like, ‘How is this happening?’ She’s gone in a second.”
Despite his recent injury, Lavelle has improved his game over the past four years.
“I think being more productive in the last third has definitely been a bit of an emphasis for me,” Lavelle said. “I think if you’re going to be a creative player, you have to be productive and help prepare players, and I think I’ve gotten better at that.”
Will the USWNT STILL win Group E?
Off the pitch, she has become more of a leader, which she thinks is crazy considering she was one of the youngest players on the team at the last World Cup. And yet she finds herself giving advice to World Cup rookies like Ashley Sanchez and Savannah DeMelo who are playing in the same position as her.
His star has also grown. In 2019, Lavelle didn’t even have an agent, but now she’s in ads for Nike and Chipotle. He could probably land a gig with a record label too after he went viral singing karaoke at the USWNT Players’ Ball last December. (Her favorite song of his? Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”)
Another key performance at this World Cup, and who knows how big Lavelle’s name could be.
“She really is a player who really wants to be great,” Rapinoe said. “She has a really serious professionalism about the game and about her craft.
“I feel like that’s where I see the most growth off the pitch, being more outgoing and letting her personality come out. That’s in direct correlation to what she’s doing on the pitch, taking on more responsibilities and being ready to take on that at (this) World Cup which should be her World Cup.”
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball, and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in the spring of 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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