Rose Lavelle may not yet be 100%, but she’s getting there.
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Lavelle first came back from her ankle injury in June, playing a few matches with Gotham and memorably returning to the U.S. women’s national team.
Then she got a lengthy vacation when the NWSL took its summer break. That gave her a bit more time to rest and recover before the second half of the NWSL season.
“I think on a personal standpoint, I had a pretty big surgery, and like I said, I kind of have to respect that it’s going to be a bit up and down, and it might be a bit until I feel 100 percent,” Lavelle told reporters last week. “But I’m gonna give it everything I can every day, regardless of maybe where my ankle’s at. I still am kind of on a journey to getting back to the point that I want to be performing at, physically, technically and all of that. I think everything else is feeling good.”
She said the break also gave Gotham some time to work on a few things.
“I think this past month was great for all of us,” Lavelle told reporters earlier this week. “I think we really got to train as a team, build relationships and have a lot of time to get on the same page, and build some momentum heading into the second half of the season.”
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Lavelle’s profile on the national stage exploded following the 2019 World Cup, scoring in the 2-0 victory over the Dutch in the final. At 24, she was one of the team’s younger players.
Now a seasoned 30-year-old veteran, Lavelle’s been on two U.S. World Cup squads and is a two-time Olympian, winning the gold medal last summer in France.
Lavelle had ankle surgery last December. She returned to the national team in late June, a goal and an assist in a 4-0 victory over Ireland in Colorado on June 26.
“We’re all delighted for Rose because there’s only one Rose Lavelle,” USWNT coach Emma Hayes said after the match. “There really is, both on and off the field, as a character, as a football player, as a human being. [It’s] been a tough injury to recover from, but she’s such a professional, also a perfectionist. I think Rose is a special player. I always have.”
Lavelle started on Saturday when Gotham hosted the Spirit. Not yet 90 minutes fit, she was subbed out of the match in the 63rd minute.
It was a physical match and Lavelle was beaten up. At one moment in the second half, she grabbed at her left ankle, and then limped for a bit. Before she came off, she was fouled Narumi Miura and came up holding her side.
The two sides played to a scoreless draw, with Gotham withstanding a first-half red card that gave the Spirit a player advantage.
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The match was part of the NWSL’s first “Rivalry Week” that also featured the natural rivalries between the Portland Thorns and Seattle Reign, and Angel City FC and the San Diego Wave.
“I definitely think, even since I’ve been here, there’s definitely some history with us and some good matchups, so I think it’s a blooming rivalry. But I think anytime you get to play the Spirit, they’re a great team with a lot of talent, so it’s always going to be a tough game that you have to show up for. So I think it’s one that’s continuing to develop every time we play.”
And you should definitely listen to Sarah Spain interview with Lavelle on Spain’s podcast Good Game.
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