Rose Lavelle carries herself on the field with a palpable sense of bravado. As a creative midfielder for the U.S. women’s soccer team and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit, the 24-year-old is full of nifty tricks and flicks and defense-splitting runs—the kind of plays that rouse spectators and rattle opponents.
Lavelle illustrated that talent this past summer, when she starred for the U.S. squad that buzz-sawed its way to the World Cup title in France. Yet, for someone whose play regularly turns heads, Lavelle isn’t sure what to make of being the center of attention. Asked if she gets recognized more after her exploits on the World Cup stage, she glances downward and chuckles.
“Sometimes? I don’t know,” she says. “I don’t really feel like I have that recognizable of a face. I feel like I’m pretty generic looking.”
But Lavelle’s eyes light up when the topic promptly shifts. The new subject? Wilma Jean Wrinkles, her English bulldog, who enjoyed an uptick in Instagram followers (the pup is closing in on 9,000) in the wake of Lavelle’s World Cup performance.
“Oh my gosh, now that’s something I’m so proud of,” Lavelle exclaims. “She has a big head, figuratively and physically. But, I mean, she deserves it. She’s so cute.”
Wilma isn’t the only one enjoying the perks of occupying the same orbit as Lavelle’s rising star. Since Lavelle and fellow 2019 World Cup champion Mallory Pugh returned to Washington in late July, the Spirit have played to multiple sellout crowds of 5,000-plus fans at the intimate Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, their typical home venue over the club’s seven-year NWSL existence. In two recent matches at Audi Field, D.C. United’s newer, more spacious facility, the Spirit have averaged 18,645 fans—despite Lavelle’s absence from both contests because of a head injury.
“It shows how much women’s soccer is growing,” Lavelle says. “When you put us in a venue big enough, we can draw the crowds.”
The Spirit (7-8-6) will continue their longshot pursuit of a playoff berth during their home finale against the first-place North Carolina Courage (14-4-4) on Saturday at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Lavelle is poised to start that match after returning to the lineup last weekend, following her month-long spell on the sidelines.
The Cincinnati native is no stranger to injuries. After enjoying a string of breakout performances for the U.S. team in early 2017, she suffered a hamstring strain that June that would limit her to playing 85 minutes over the following 11 months in U.S. and NWSL matches, combined. When Lavelle finally returned to consistent playing time in the second half of 2018, she initially struggled to regain sharpness and fitness.
“That was a lot of frustration,” Lavelle says. “I was at the lowest point, confidence-wise, that I had ever been in my life.”
U.S. coach Jill Ellis retained patience, however, with the understanding that Lavelle’s game-changing skill set made her an asset worth investing in. By the time the World Cup rolled around, Lavelle had returned to form and Ellis’ faith was paying dividends. The attacking dynamo would start six of the U.S. team’s seven matches in France, scoring three goals—including a slaloming individual effort in the World Cup final win over the Netherlands.
“When she scored her World Cup [final] goal, I started crying,” said Pugh, who shares a Rockville residence with Lavelle and Spirit captain Andi Sullivan, at a press conference. “I know that Rose has had a tough path to get to where she is now. I live with her at home, so just seeing all the work and just the way she has truly grown into the player she is, it’s inspiring for me and it makes me want to be better.”
FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, honored Lavelle with the Bronze Ball as the World Cup’s third most outstanding player. Earlier this week, Lavelle traveled to Milan for FIFA’s annual awards gala as the organization named her to the Women’s World 11 for 2019.
“I don’t regret anything or wish anything had gone any differently because I feel like everything kind of fell into place perfectly,” Lavelle says of her injury saga. “I learned so much from that experience, too, that helped me with the World Cup and moving forward with the rest of my career.”
Even in the aftermath of such career-defining success, Lavelle’s competitive side won’t let her rest on her laurels. She knows there are larger battles to come for women’s soccer, as the U.S. women continue to push the U.S. Soccer Federation for compensation they feel puts them on par with the men. “It’s such a cool thing to be a part of,” Lavelle says. “Hopefully we’ll start to see [change] in the next couple months.”
On the field, Lavelle perceives the World Cup triumph as more of an education than a coronation. Ever the forward-thinking playmaker, she’s focusing on the Spirit’s stretch run while already casting an eye toward future global goals—starting with next year’s Summer Olympics in Japan, where she’ll be aiming to make her Olympic debut.
“I felt like I gained a lot of experience going into another major tournament, if I’m lucky enough to be on another roster,” Lavelle says. “Hopefully I’ll be even more prepared next go-around.”
