Much like it was throughout the entirety of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, it’s still a very popular sentiment to express how good Rose Lavelle is at soccer.
rose lavelle is good at passing
— Aaron West (@oeste) November 11, 2019
Rose Lavelle is too good at soccer. It annoys me. Like be normal.
— Kim McCauley (@lgbtqfc) November 11, 2019
Maybe it’s her youthful build and unassuming countenance that gives her yet-to-be-discovered vibes, but when people tell you that she’s the future of U.S. Soccer, it’s difficult to reconcile that with the present.
This is, after all, a 24-year-old that’s won a World Cup while starting six matches, scoring three goals (including a stunner in the final) and capturing the tournament’s Bronze Ball “thanks to her speed, technique and physical condition,” and when you think about her first half performance against England in the semis coupled with her 90-minute display against the Netherlands in the final, you could certainly argue that Lavelle was the supreme catalyst for America’s triumph in France.
What more could we possibly expect from Lavelle? Isn't the future now?
But then you see her orchestrate the USWNT’s opening 10-minute blitz against Costa Rica on Sunday night in Jacksonville, Florida, and you know that anything’s possible with regards to the Cincinnati native.
The opener, arriving in the fourth minute, was finished emphatically by Carli Lloyd but it was engineered by Lavelle with a combination of technique, positivity and vision.
rose lavelle is the future pic.twitter.com/RU1kPYF2Sl
— mason (@uswntgay) November 11, 2019
Lavelle’s second assist came six minutes later. She invited three defenders onto her while dribbling at the top of the area before releasing Morgan Brian for the finish.
We stan Rose Lavelle assists. pic.twitter.com/cg5kaOBICt
— Our Game Magazine (@OurGameMagazine) November 11, 2019
There was more: a Zidane Turn in the area that should’ve led to her third assist of the match, but Lynn Williams couldn’t finish. You can see that at the end of the below highlight reel.
@roselavelle appreciation tweet. pic.twitter.com/h1OhfKokOk
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 11, 2019
The USWNT's next scheduled matches are at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship. The U.S. is in Group A with Costa Rica, Panama and Haiti. The last CONCACAF event the USWNT played in was the 2018 Women's Championship. They won all five of their games, scored 26 goals and conceded zero.