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Jeff Kassouf
Rose Lavelle scored a goal and added an assist in her first international minutes in nearly seven months Thursday as the United States beat Ireland 4-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
Lavelle scored in the 53rd minute, calmly redirecting a low cross from forward Ally Sentnor. It was Lavelle’s 25th goal for the United States.
“We’re all delighted for Rose because there’s only one Rose Lavelle,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said after the match. “There really is, both on and off the field, as a character, as a football player, as a human being. [It’s] been a tough injury to recover from, but she’s such a professional, also a perfectionist.
“I think Rose is a special player, I always have; I did before I took this job, but now I work with her. I’ve been able to put her in positions where she can thrive even more, giving her the right structure, and I’m looking forward to many more of those moments.”
Before Thursday, Lavelle had not played for the USWNT since Dec. 3, 2024. She underwent ankle surgery shortly after that game and returned to the field only for her club, Gotham FC, in early June, starting once and playing 73 total minutes over three games.
She played for 59 minutes Thursday.
“Any time you spend time away from the game, I always find some silver lining in it,” Lavelle said earlier this month upon her return for Gotham FC. “I think I’ve found a lot of silver lining during this time away. I think [some] of that is learning how to be a good teammate when I can’t be on the field with them, staying present, still having a voice and helping people where I can. Being out for so long really forced me to do that 10-fold.”
Lavelle, who was a crucial part of the USWNT’s 2019 World Cup-winning team and 2024 Olympic gold medal team, also assisted on the first goal of the night. Forward Michelle Cooper played a quick, short corner kick to Lavelle in the 18th minute, and Lavelle crossed the ball to defender Avery Patterson, who headed it into the net for her first international goal.
Midfielder Sam Coffey doubled the USWNT’s lead in first-half stoppage time.
Forward Alyssa Thompson added a fourth goal in the 63rd minute on an electric individual effort. The Angel City FC forward touched the ball around her defender at midfield and cut inside onto her right foot before striking a shot from just inside the penalty area into the side netting.
Three players made their USWNT debuts Thursday: goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and defenders Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg. Dickey and Reale played for the full 90 minutes.
Twenty-two players have made their international debuts under Hayes in her 23 games in charge.
Ireland and the USWNT will play again Sunday in Cincinnati — Lavelle’s hometown.
The USWNT will finish the international window of friendlies Tuesday against Canada in Washington, D.C.
Hayes was asked after Thursday’s match if she would take it easy Sunday vs. Ireland, which is coached by her longtime friend, Carla Ward.
“I won’t change who I am; definitely not, not for anyone — even if I like you,” Hayes said. “The U.S. women’s national team has such a high bar that it’s up to me to keep pace with that and deliver teams that pursue excellence every time.
“So, we will absolutely be looking to do that again. There will be changes, though, because it’s a three-game window for us, and I want to see the whole squad.”
The team will not assemble again until the next international window in late October, by which point Hayes said she expects to have narrowed down her pool of players whom she will rely on ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
