Rose Lavelle, Lilly Reale named USWNT players of the year

Lavelle is one of the few USWNT veterans still getting solid minutes for Hayes, and this year she proved her mettle in keeping up with the young stars. The technically gifted midfielder scored three goals and three assists for the national team in a year when she earned just six caps. That low number of caps is largely due to her recovery from an ankle injury; she didn’t step onto the pitch for the national team until June 26. “It being my first surgery, I didn’t really know how much pain you’d be in returning from surgery,” Lavelle reflected on a December 2025 episode of The Women’s Game. “And I just remember frequently being like, Oh my gosh, I will never take my health for granted—being able to walk freely and without pain and just be active and be able to move in the way that I want to move without feeling limited.” 

On the club side, Lavelle stepped up to lead a middling Gotham side upon her return from injury, ultimately playing in 13 regular-season games and scoring five goals in that time. But her most important contribution came in the championship match, when her lone strike broke the deadlock and secured the trophy for Gotham. 

After that match, Lavelle was far more effusive about her teammates than her own performance, demonstrating the leadership qualities that have delivered her the captain’s armband many times for club, and a few times for country. Of her goal, she said, “[Bruninha] did all the heavy lifting and then she just slotted across, and thank God that worked out.”

Want more women’s hockey content? Subscribe to The Ice Garden!
In case you missed it, The Ice Garden is now part of The IX Sports family!
The staff of The Ice Garden has paved the way for women’s hockey coverage from the college ranks to international competitions. Of course, that includes in-depth coverage of the PWHL too.

Reale was one of Gotham’s many young players who benefited from veteran leadership like Lavelle’s. The rookie defender came to the NWSL out of UCLA, with an impressive U.S. Youth National Team career behind her. She made her senior national team debut on the same day that Lavelle made her return from injury. Reale made an assist that day, a good omen as she quickly made a case for herself to be in the running for starting fullback, along with Emily Fox and Avery Patterson. 

For Gotham, Reale’s campaign earned her the accolade of NWSL Rookie of the Year. She consistently held strong for the Gotham back line, playing in every one of Gotham’s regular-season matches. She made one assist and one goal for Gotham, the goal coming when she rose above a scramble in the box to head the ball home against North Carolina. In the playoffs, she started every game. 

“I am constantly reminded of how special this National team program is when I reflect on all of the relationships, knowledge, laughs, and opportunities that U.S. Soccer has given me over the years,” Reale said in a statement. “It was this environment where I first learned what it truly took to reach the next level and just how different each person’s journey will look.” 

Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast & Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis.
Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you listen to your podcasts and make sure to subscribe!

The awards were voted on by a variety of parties, including national team and club coaches, national team players, U.S. Soccer personnel, and media members. Sam Coffey and Catarina Macario were runners-up to Lavelle, and Jordyn Bugg and Micayla Johnson were runners-up to Reale. 

In 2024, Alyssa Naeher was the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, and Ally Sentnor was the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.