‘To reach this milestone is incredible’ – Manchester City’s Lavelle set for 50th senior cap

Manchester City midfielder Rose Lavelle will collect her 50th senior international cap for the United States should she make an appearance in their latest SheBelieves Cup fixture against Brazil in Orlando, Florida tomorrow night.

The 25-year-old scored the winning goal for The Stars and Stripes in their opening tournament match against Canada in the early hours of Friday morning.

That substitute appearance moved Lavelle onto 49 caps, less than four years on from making her senior international debut and it could therefore be a landmark occasion for the player at the Exploria Stadium tomorrow night.

Lavelle spoke with FAWSL Full-Time in the United States’ pre-match press conference ahead of the Brazil game and she admitted that it is an incredible feeling every time she pulls on the famous white jersey for her country.

“Every time you wear this jersey or even just get dressed for a game, it’s such an honour” said Lavelle. “To be able to get into the team and get some minutes is incredible, it is something that we have all dreamed of doing growing up.

“To reach this milestone (50 caps) is incredible. Obviously there have been so many people who have helped me get to this point, it hasn’t just been me but yeah it is nice.”

Lavelle made her senior debut for the United States in the 2017 SheBelieves Cup in a fixture against England. She put in a Player of the Match performance as The Stars and Stripes lost that game 1-0. The midfielder said that the competition is one that she enjoys playing in.

She added “This tournament is always fun to play in because there are always great teams involved.

“It is always super-competitive and there are always really close games so I have loved being a part of it at every opportunity that I have been able to.”

Lavelle moved to Manchester City in August and the player has featured in eight of The Cityzens’ fixtures in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League this season, scoring one goal. Lavelle went on to discuss life in Manchester and admitted that she loves the fact that every day is a real challenge.

“It has been great” she said. “One of the reasons that I wanted to go to Manchester was because I kind of wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone and be in an environment that was going to make me feel uncomfortable every single day. I think it is definitely doing that.

“The girls are great, I love them, they are great people and incredible soccer players. They’re very technical and you have really got to be switched on for every single rep. I think that has been great.

“I think I am warming, growing and getting better there, I like it.”

Lavelle will be hoping to return to the United States starting XI as Vlatko Andonovski’s side look to take a big step towards retaining the SheBelieves Cup by beating Brazil tomorrow night. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 8pm UK time.

Daniel Pentland

I am the editor and owner of FAWSL Full-Time magazine. I have been reporting on men’s and women’s football at various levels since summer 2015. Some of the events which I have reported from include the 2017 UEFA Women’s European Championship, 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, SSE Women’s FA Cup final, Emirates FA Cup final, UEFA Europa League, English Football League and various international matches.

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