USWNT’s Rose Lavelle: My Game in My Words

In this My Game In My Words series, The Athletic builds towards the Women’s World Cup by talking to leading players around the world to find out how they think about football, why they play the way they do and to reflect — through looking back at their key career moments — on their achievements so far. 

It’s a pleasant, mid-May morning in a trendy Seattle neighborhood, on the kind of block with ample walkways, several stylish coffee shops and a pilates studio. Inside the pilates studio awaits U.S. national team star Rose Lavelle, plus a team of sponsors, her agents and, of course for this type of day, a photographer.

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Lavelle is a star with the USWNT but, at the center of it all, she doesn’t seem to gravitate towards the spotlight. Her down-to-earth demeanor and humor help alleviate the awkwardness of an overly choreographed day— Go here, stand there, pose for this picture, okay now say a few words, pose again, tilt your shoulders please, okay great one more, alright now let’s get to the next location.

Rehab and recovery for Lavelle is currently at the top of mind. She last featured in a game in the beginning of April and is yet to return to the pitch.

At the time of the interview, Lavelle was thought to be nearing a return to the field after what was initially described in April by national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski as a “knock” six weeks prior. Less than a week after the interview, OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey said Lavelle suffered a setback in her recovery.

The World Cup begins in a month. 

Fans are worrying that Lavelle’s spot at the tournament is in jeopardy, four years after Lavelle went from rising talent to a bonafide star and fan favorite, scoring in a World Cup final en route to