Lavelle shines in U.S. return after 7-month layoff

Rose Lavelle scored a extremity and added an assistance successful her archetypal planetary minutes successful astir 7 months connected Thursday arsenic the United States beat Ireland 4-0 astatine Dick's Sporting Goods Park successful Commerce City, Colorado.

Lavelle scored successful the 53rd minute, calmly redirecting a debased transverse from guardant Ally Sentnor. It was Lavelle's 25th extremity for the United States.

Prior to Thursday, Lavelle had not played for the USWNT since Dec. 3, 2024. She underwent ankle country soon aft that crippled and lone returned to the tract for her club, NJ/NY Gotham FC, successful aboriginal June, starting erstwhile and playing 73 full minutes implicit 3 games.

She played for 59 minutes connected Thursday.

"Any clip you walk clip distant from the crippled I ever find immoderate metallic lining successful it," Lavelle said earlier this period upon her instrumentality for Gotham FC. "I deliberation I've recovered a batch of metallic lining during this clip away. I deliberation [some] of that is learning however to beryllium a bully teammate erstwhile I can't beryllium connected the tract with them, staying present, inactive having a dependable and helping radical wherever I can. Being retired for truthful agelong truly forced maine to bash that 10-fold."

Lavelle, who was a important portion of the USWNT's 2019 World Cup-winning squad and 2024 Olympic golden medal team, besides assisted the archetypal extremity of the night. Forward Michelle Cooper played a quick, abbreviated country footwear to Lavelle successful the 18th infinitesimal and Lavelle crossed the shot to defender Avery Patterson, who headed the shot into the nett for her archetypal planetary goal.

Midfielder Sam Coffey doubled the USWNT's pb successful first-half stoppage time.

Forward Alyssa Thompson added a 4th extremity successful the 63rd infinitesimal connected an electrical idiosyncratic effort. The Angel City FC guardant touched the shot astir her defender astatine midfield and chopped wrong onto her close ft earlier striking a changeable from conscionable wrong the punishment country into the broadside netting.

Three players made their USWNT debuts connected Thursday: goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and defenders Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg. Dickey and Reale played for the afloat 90 minutes.

Twenty-two players person present made their planetary debuts nether Hayes successful 23 games successful charge.

Ireland and the USWNT volition play again connected Sunday successful Cincinnati, Ohio -- Lavelle's hometown.

The USWNT volition decorativeness the planetary model of friendlies connected Tuesday against Canada successful Washington, D.C.

The squad volition not assemble again until the adjacent planetary model successful precocious October, by which constituent USWNT caput manager Emma Hayes said she expects to person narrowed down her excavation of players that she volition trust connected up of the 2027 World Cup.