NWSL Champion Rose Lavelle Sets Sights on Mentoring Soccer's Rising Stars

Rose Lavelle is in great spirits, a truly welcome sensation for the 30-year-old midfielder. Following her absence during the initial portion of last season due to ankle surgery recovery, Lavelle has bounced back, refreshed, and prepared to tackle a significant year for both her club and national team duties. 

With Gotham FC, she has already contributed to guiding her squad to a third-place result in the debut FIFA Women's Champions Cup competition, which occurred just months following her decisive goal in the club's NWSL championship victory. Representing the U.S. women's national team, she'll wear the stars and stripes during the 11th edition of U.S. Soccer's SheBelieves Cup, marking the initial international friendlies before World Cup qualifying begins later this year. 

"The previous year served as a period of reflection for me, experiencing my initial surgery and then returning to compete with an exceptional club like Gotham while rejoining the national team," Lavelle explains. "The process proved more challenging than I expected, and I'll never underestimate the value of good health again."

While the ankle procedure over a year ago represented her first surgical experience, she has battled recurring injuries throughout her professional journey. However, now, for the first time in quite a while, she begins the season in good health—a factor that will positively influence her performance for both Gotham FC and the national squad. 

"The previous year presented some challenges [during my ankle rehabilitation], but I believe I've reached a turning point and it's been feeling strong," Lavelle explains.

Lavelle remained on the sidelines during Sunday's 2–0 victory over Argentina, and one can reasonably assume that USWNT head coach Emma Hayes is preserving her for the upcoming clash against Canada on March 4. The concluding match versus Colombia on March 7 will represent somewhat of a return home for Lavelle at Sports Illustrated Stadium, which serves not only as Gotham FC's venue but also the location where Lavelle initially earned her USWNT debut during the 2017 SheBelieves Cup. 

"It's always enjoyable whenever we've had the opportunity to compete at [Sports Illustrated Stadium], and it holds even greater significance now that I represent Gotham and it's my home venue," Lavelle states. "Clearly, it's also somewhat of a complete circle experience, understanding that's essentially where I launched my national team journey. It's quite remarkable because I certainly wouldn't have imagined back then that I would eventually be competing professionally at that same stadium."

In 2017, the National Women's Soccer League landscape looked considerably different. Gotham FC, formerly known as Sky Blue FC, competed at Rutgers University's Yurcak Field with a capacity of merely 5,000. Just a few years afterward, when Lavelle represented the Washington Spirit, the away match against Sky Blue that season occurred immediately following her return from capturing the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup before unprecedented audiences. 

Rose Lavelle delivering the decisive moment in 2019. 💫@USWNT | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/HlvoATukbG

"I believe it was the initial match following the 2019 World Cup that was versus Sky Blue at Rutgers, and it was incredibly surreal, just the contrast of transitioning from competing in Paris, before packed stadiums, to a venue that accommodates only 5,000," she recalls. "It's truly amazing to witness how this organization and women's soccer overall has progressed."

Currently, Lavelle observes a dramatically transformed environment for women's soccer in the United States and globally. From her inaugural professional season playing at a university facility to now sold-out arenas hosting tens of thousands of supporters, it's been almost ten years but seems like an instant. While she remains modest about her personal contribution to that transformation, Lavelle acknowledges her teammates and colleagues, along with those who preceded her, for establishing the foundation for this remarkable expansion.

"I feel incredibly fortunate to have been welcomed during an era when there were those pioneers and individuals advancing the sport," Lavelle reflects on many of her previous teammates, including athletes like Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Becky Sauerbrunn. "There are consistently trailblazers [in every era], but I feel so appreciative for the veterans I had during that period because I had such excellent leaders and examples to admire, to help demonstrate what it's like and what it means to be a veteran —not just for Gotham or for the national team, but within the sport."

Lavelle embraces her responsibility as a veteran player. Although it still amazes her how rapidly time has elapsed, she is prepared, eager to compete and anticipating a successful season for both club and country during what she considers an incredibly thrilling period for soccer in the United States.

"It's been such an extensive journey to reach this point, and certainly something I don't take casually—I have enormous expectations to meet and I hope I can honor them appropriately," Lavelle states. "I hope I can help guide this new generation of young, exceptionally talented, remarkable players emerging. I feel so fortunate to have been a young player with the veteran group I had the chance to learn from, and now I feel so blessed to be a veteran with the younger group that's developing."

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Jenna Tonelli is a writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer. She is passionate about women's soccer, particularly the NWSL, USWNT, and the Italian women's national team. When not thinking about soccer, Jenna can be found drinking iced coffee and rooting for the Buffalo Bills.