'We want them to stay here' - USWNT duo Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett opting to explore NWSL free agency despite OL Reign boss Laura Harvey's plea

Speaking to media on Monday, the OL Reign boss admitted that she believes the duo should explore free agency this offseason, but added that she wants them both to 'stay' in Seattle. For Lavelle and Sonnett, they should have plenty of suitors, but surely no deal will be made until after the USWNT camp over the next two weeks.

Lavelle missed most of the NWSL season to injury, but down the final stretch of the season, she was beyond influential in their attack. During the championship against Gotham FC, the USWNT star moved into a striker role and nearly won the game for her side on multiple occasions, but it was too tall of a task for just her in the end. As for Sonnett, she was a rock in the midfield when playing and would be an asset for any club, but they would have to make a huge offer for a player with her talent to lure her away from her home in Seattle.

"I just think that free agency is something that players should live through. I said this last year with our free agents: They should live through it. And I think the Expansion Draft adds an extra wrinkle to that, that they know that if they're still free, they can't be picked. So that gives them some power [over] their own destiny outside of wherever they choose their next destination to be," she said.

"And you know, I think everyone knows that we really value Rose and Sonnett. They're a huge part of our team. I think Sonnett's evolution this year has been exceptional. And Rose obviously had a tough year, but you saw that at the back end of the season what she can do, and they know that we love them, and we want them to stay here. But I do think that every player - and we advise them this - that they should live through free agency and see what it looks like for them."

The UWSNT duo are both in NWSL offseason mode, but both have been called up to represent their nation in a pair of friendlies against China PR in early December. Lavelle is listed as a midfielder on the roster, so she's expected to play a deeper role than she did in the NWSL final with the Reign, whereas Sonnett will maintain her defensive midfield spot in the team.