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Rose Lavelle Gotham FCGetty Images
Ryan Tolmich

Rose Lavelle is back and scoring: Superstar midfielder can have a huge impact on USWNT's Olympic hopes and Gotham FC's faltering NWSL title defense

The star midfielder is back on the field and the goal will now be to get her fit and firing for club and country.

There were a myriad of reasons that the U.S. women's national team fell short at the World Cup last summer, so there's no use earmarking one as THE reason. Bad luck, an aging roster, bad tactics, a lack of attacking flow... go on and pick one and, while you're at it, add a few more to the list because it doesn't stop there.

Still, it's hard not to wonder about one particular reason: Rose Lavelle. What if she was healthy? What if the USWNT had the real Lavelle in the XI? What kind of holes could she have covered up simply by being there?

We'll never know, of course. The World Cup is done and dusted. The USWNT lost and there's no going back.

There is going forward, though, to the Olympics. Under the new Emma Hayes regime, what will the USWNT look like? And, more specifically to this story, what will the USWNT look like with a healthy Lavelle?

We can't get ahead of ourselves. Lavelle is only just returning from a new injury, one that kept her out of the SheBelieves Cup. She's returning at a big time for the USWNT, but also for Gotham FC, her new club that is dealing with USWNT-sized expectations.

So what can Lavelle add for club and for country? How big of an impact can she make this summer if she can stay fit? We're about to find out.

  • Lavelle USWNT 2023Getty

    Injury issues

    It feels like it's been so long since we've seen the real Lavelle. Injuries will do that, unfortunately.

    Her 2023 World Cup run was limited by a knee injury. As a result, she came on as a substitute during the USWNT's group stage matches against Vietnam and the Netherlands. She was then cleared to play 90 in the third group-stage match, but due to a second yellow card of the group stage, was suspended for the round-of-16 game against Sweden.

    With Lavelle, you know what happened next. The USWNT fell short in a penalty shootout, making some bad history in the process. She went on to make one appearance in the final games of 2023 before returning to the XI for the Gold Cup in the spring.

    After that Gold Cup, though, Lavelle was sidelined again with another knee injury. One that saw her miss the start of what is set to be a huge season on the club level.

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  • Tierna Davidson Gotham 2024USA Today Images

    Gotham FC struggles

    It's safe to say Gotham FC went bonkers this winter. After winning the 2023 NWSL title the club went out and added four USWNT stars, signing Lavelle, Tierna Davidson, Crystal Dunn and Emily Sonnett. By doing so, they built themselves into the NWSL Avengers. This was the league's first-ever superteam.

    Lavelle, though, hadn't played a part for the first four weeks. The Bats won just one of those first four games while also losing the NWSL Challenge Cup to the San Diego Wave to begin the season. It wasn't the start that anyone would have hoped for.

    Although the club had played fewer games than the rest of the league, Gotham found themselves near the bottom of the table entering a clash with Racing Louisville. This is a team that is expected to run away as champions, not have to fight for a playoff spot.

    Perhaps, then, that Louisville match will be a turning point thanks to the return of their new star midfielder.

  • Lavelle's big return

    Gotham FC were set to lose again. A 95th-minute goal from Reilyn Turner had given Louisville the lead... surely there was no way back now.

    There was, though, thanks to Lavelle.

    Tossed in in the 75th minute for her first appearance of the season, Lavelle made sure to make her mark. It required a bit of luck, as she took advantage of a scramble, but Lavelle made no mistake as she scored in the 97th minute to seal a draw.

    A sign of things to come? Gotham will surely hope so.

  • Rose Lavelle Gotham FC 2024Getty Images

    'A special talent'

    Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amoros knows what he has at his disposal. The Spanish boss has the most purely talented team in the league, one with stars in every position. It's why Gotham can survive some injuries, including the one to Midge Purce that will rob them of their 2023 playoff hero for the rest of this season.

    Lavelle, though, might just be Amoros' most unique weapon. She is that good, after all.

    "Rose, we know what she can do," Amoros said. "She's a different player. She brings something different. She's a special talent. She's really adapting to the style. Today [against Louisville], she had only 15 minutes, and she got that goal.

    "[I am curious as to] what she can do when we have her for a little bit longer, and what she's able to do in those positions. [We are] super proud of her, and we were all very happy that she finally, after all this work, was able to [make her] debut."

    With her debut behind her, Lavelle will now have a few weeks to find some fitness before things really heat up with the USWNT.

  • Rose Lavelle USWNT 2023

    A USWNT return

    There are plenty of ways to shape a USWNT midfield, and we don't yet know how Hayes will set up. The current Chelsea boss is a known tinkerer and, despite not having much time to experiment pre-Olympics, it remains to be seen what the USWNT's tactics will actually look like.

    Make no mistake, though: the USNWT is better with Lavelle involved, and having her fit and firing will be key to this team's Olympic run.

    Lavelle may not be a starter, partly due to fitness and partly due to the talent around her. The rise of Jaedyn Shaw has given the USWNT a new star attacking midfielder, while the return of Mallory Swanson adds further competition on the wing.

    However, if the USWNT needs a goal, a chance, or a moment, there are few better to provide it than Lavelle. She's done so at the highest of levels and, if she can reach her peak in time for summer, she'll certainly push everyone in the lineup for one of those starting spots in attack.

    The best version of the USWNT is one with Lavelle in it, and she very well could be the key to an Olympic bounceback after a disastrous World Cup.

  • Rose Lavelle USWNT 2023Getty Images

    Looking ahead

    The U.S. will convene for friendlies in the coming weeks, the first of the Hayes era. They will face South Korea on June 1 and 4 in matches that will offer the first real glimpse into how Hayes will sculpt this team.

    In the weeks leading up to that, Lavelle will get the chance to build up some fitness. Gotham have five NWSL matches between now and that camp, the perfect amount of time to build up Lavelle. She was given just 15 minutes against Louisville and it's safe to bet that the Bats will slowly increase her minutes. By the time USWNT duty begins, Lavelle may be pretty close to 100 percent.

    Both the USWNT and the Bats won't rush her, though. It's not as important to have her fit in June as it will be to have her fit in July when the Olympics kick off. Everything Lavelle will do over the next few weeks will build to that moment.

    When she is fit, both the USWNT and Gotham will have a hell of a player, one that could very well be the difference between success and failure for both of her teams by the time 2024 comes to a close.