Rose Lavelle has been sensational for the USWNT, so her lack of playing time for Manchester City is puzzling

• Rose Lavelle has blossomed into one of the most lethal offensive weapons on a stacked USWNT.
• But on the club level, the 25-year-old is struggling to find playing time with Manchester City.
• Keeping Lavelle on the bench is a missed opportunity for the WSL side and its manager, Gareth Taylor.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Rose Lavelle has blossomed into a bona fide star for the perennially stacked US Women’s National Team.

Even the most casual women’s soccer fans will remember Lavelle’s megawatt breakout during the 2019 World Cup final when the then-24-year-old fired a left-footed bullet off the dribble to deliver the nail in the Netherlands’ coffin and secure the USWNT’s fourth star. Lavelle has been one of the national team’s most lethal weapons ever since, scoring a handful of goals from her post as an attacking midfielder and earning starts in most of her appearances for Vlatko Andonovski’s squad.

All of this is to say Lavelle is one of the top players on the top team on the planet. So why isn’t she getting substantive playing time with her club?

Lavelle’s tenure with Manchester City has been lackluster

This summer, Lavelle followed the lead of her USWNT teammate Sam Mewis and signed a one-year contract with Manchester City. From the beginning, expectations were high that Lavelle would facilitate out of the midfield or create opportunities for herself in space to provide an instant jumpstart to the FA Women’s Super League club’s attack.

But instead, Lavelle has largely taken in the team’s matches from the sidelines.

Thanks to an ankle injury, her debut for the club came six games after her arrival overseas. In that 28-minute stint off the bench versus Tottenham, Lavelle showed promise in that No. 10 spot that's given her so much success with the USWNT.

After that, though, the young star mostly found herself riding the bench or playing out of position for Gareth Taylor's squad. Taylor has insisted that Lavelle can "affect the game wherever she plays," but, unsurprisingly, her production has suffered as a result.

And just as she appeared to be finding her footing within Taylor's scheme, Lavelle sustained an injury. In an early December match against Everton - her second start for Manchester City in roughly three months with the club -she fell awkwardly, tweaking her knee severely enough to require multiple weeks of recovery.

Since returning, Lavelle has seen herself fall further out of Taylor's midfield rotation. She earned just 26 minutes off the bench in Manchester City's victory against West Ham on January 31. And even after scoring a goal in the lopsided affair, Lavelle was granted four and six minutes, respectively, off the bench in the Blues' following two matches.

All the while, Lavelle's output for the USWNT has been characteristically stellar

Since Lavelle joined ranks with Manchester City in the summer of 2020, the USWNT has played four matches. In the squad's first match since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic - a grudge match against the Netherlands to end a 261-day hiatus for Andonovski's side - Lavelle got the starting nod. She delivered an absolute rocket in the 41st minute to put the US on the board.

—U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

In a pair of friendlies against Colombia two months later, Lavelle subbed-in 64 minutes into the first match and earned the start in the next. Although her efforts on the pitch didn't translate to the stats sheet, her extended time in the game was a stark contrast from her recent experience at the club level.

Then, in Thursday night's SheBelieves Cup match against archrival Canada, she once again broke through. After the US struggled to make headway in the attacking third, Lavelle came in off the bench in the 64th minute and, 15 minutes later, one-touched a loose ball into the back of the net to give the USWNT the 1-0 win.

—U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) February 19, 2021

The strike even prompted outside back Midge Purce - who enjoyed a stellar performance in her own right - to call Lavelle the game changer of the rivalry match.

"Rose was remarkable," Purce said. "Her goal was beautiful."

"Rose, in particular, brings this creativity that is just so special," she added later. "You get lost watching it, and I have to remind myself, 'Get up, go with the team!' because you can just get lost watching her."

Lavelle's success with the USWNT renews calls to give her more time in Manchester City

Following each of Lavelle's breakthroughs for the USWNT, fans and analysts alike are typically quick to point out how lethal she is on the attack when employed appropriately. Many - admittedly, myself included - have questioned her use overseas and called on the powers that be at Manchester City to review the tape and reconsider their stance on the American star.

—Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) November 14, 2020

—Molly Hensley-Clancy (@mollyhc) November 27, 2020

—Elisabeth Schendel (@lis_ashlee) November 27, 2020

 

—Emma N (@enchi165) February 19, 2021

—Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) February 19, 2021

—BLUE BALLS NYCFC (@BlueBallsPod) February 19, 2021

—ashna (@ashnaguliani) January 23, 2021

—Meredith Cash (@mercash22) February 19, 2021

—Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) February 12, 2021

 

There is little doubt that Lavelle is at her best when she is empowered to attack from the center of the field, but she hasn't been afforded that luxury since her early days in Britain. To this point, Taylor has largely appeared unwilling to compromise on his typical formation (4-3-3) which boasts three true forwards and usually holds midfielders back from pushing up to attack with regularity.

In other words, Lavelle's natural 10 positioning doesn't fit the scheme Manchester City has in place. And, to be fair, it is tough to argue with Taylor's logic when his team has won each of its last five FA WSL matches and sits in second on the league table.

Even still, Lavelle is a bright enough star to warrant a system molded to her strengths. And every time she shines for the world's greatest team in its most crucial moments, Lavelle raises more eyebrows in Taylor's direction.