Rose Lavelle Begins Her Path Back To Starring For The U.S. Women's Team

After a six-month hiatus, Rose Lavelle has returned to the U.S. women’s national team.

The star midfielder was last with the squad for its final matches of 2024, when it traveled overseas to play both England and the Netherlands. But then she underwent ankle surgery in December and has been recovering ever since.

Lavelle appeared in her first game for Gotham FC on June 7 in a 2-1 loss to Kansas City, and has been building minutes ever since. This week, she’s in USWNT camp ahead of three upcoming matches: two against the Republic of Ireland on June 26 (at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado) and June 29 (at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio), and one against Canada on July 2 (at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.). It will be the squad’s final camp until October.

Rose Lavelle underwent ankle surgery in December and is getting back into playing form. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

"We’re incredibly excited to have her back with us for multiple reasons," manager Emma Hayes said. "First of all, her personality and character in the locker room has been sorely missed the past six months. She’s supremely gifted as a football player and playing between sort of the eight and ten positions. She’s someone who, I think, as she’s maturing as a top-level footballer, is where her game has been going the last 12 months. She’s starting to add new dimensions in between the lines."

Lavelle has always been one of the USWNT’s more unique and creative players. She’s left-footed and her finesse on the ball comes naturally. She’s elusive and can slip through the midfield or go on a 50-yard run untouched and score a goal in a World Cup final (as she did in 2019 to lift the USWNT to a 2-0 win over the