USWNT’s Rose Lavelle nears return: What it means for NWSL’s NJ/NY Gotham FC, national team

Winner of the World Cup World Cup Rose Lavelle comes close to the return of an ankle injury, so that she could offer a well-timed boost for both her NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC and the American national team of women.

Lavelle has not played anymore since the 2-1 victory of the USWNT in the Netherlands in December, short after surgery on an ankle injury and has brought back to the field for the past six months. Her long waiting time can finally be over on Saturday, when she could play her first game of the year when Gotham organizes the Current of Kansas City (1 pm et, etc. CBS). Head coach Juan Carlos Amoros said on Thursday in his press conference before the match on Thursday that “if everything goes well” could play in the last hours before the game, Lavelle “in a sort of capacity” during the game.

The midfielder would return for a crucial matchup against the current, which is currently on top of the NWSL table with eight victories from their first 10 games of the season. Gotham could use the boost because they are currently in ninth place at this early stage of the campaign, although they are getting rid of the inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup and Tigres beat 1-0 in the final last month.

Lavelle’s Interest for Gotham

Gotham is currently outside a play -off place with two points, a small enough margin to turn the race with 16 more games in the season. It means that the return of Lavelle will not come too early for a moment, especially because their middle form is reflected in their attacking return this season.

The NWSL champions of 2023 are eighth in the NWSL for goals with only 12 out of 10 games, seven of one player – Spain International Esther Gonzalez. The underlying statistics tell a fairly similar picture, with Gotham that ranks eighth in the competition for Schoten (120) and expected goals (11.9) and sixth for Schoten on Doel (45). They almost break on goals with 10 so far, they look like a similar pattern from recent years under Amoros.

Gotham also started a slow start last season before he finished third in the table and took the semi -final of the play -off, strong part of the top four teams of the NWSL who were a cut above the rest. The team, just as it is now, was defensive solid, but it took a while before they unlock their attack. The attacking effort eventually improved when Lavelle returned in April of a injury injury. She then scored eight goals and noted one assist in 23 games, one of the two Gotham players (next to Gonzalez) to end within the top 10 of the NWSL for scored goals. A similar output could be in the tickets for Gotham this season, and at the right time.

Lavelle adds experience to USWNT

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes may work strategically with inexperienced talent while continuing the long journey to the World Cup 2027, but there has always been room for veteran talent during this period of experiments. Defender Crystal Dunn has described the role of the veterans as a presentation of “how difficult it is to be here”, something that can help Lavelle with her many years of experience. Lavelle has two trips to the World Cup and Olympic Games each under her belt, as well as a first place in every competition.

That is before it talks about Lavelle’s on-field attributes. She has been a meaningful player in the midfield of the USNWT for years, and has often set up the attackers for success in a team that has long been determined by their attacking habits. It is unclear when she will do the national team again, especially since Hayes prefers it not to bring players into the fold too early when they return from an injury, but she will bring the team to the team during this transitional period.

Hayes said earlier that she is planning to have a complete understanding of her player pool by the time that the next international window ends in early July, although she still has enough time to tinker with her options. The head coach has usually interspersed between Lindsey Heaps and Lily Yohannes in the attacking midfield position in the past six months and Lavelle’s return gives her another option while she starts to establish the best team – and line -up – for 2027.