![]() She trusted her own ability and the speed of her teammates to backheel a pass that let Alex Morgan run through on goal and score the second goal of the half. Lavelle knew that on either side of her and her marker, a USWNT forward was free due to the New Zealand backline trying to cope with her movement in front of them. Rose Lavelle showed that throughout her time on the pitch but her most telling contribution funnily enough, was with her back turned away from goal. ![]() It’s not easy to get either one of them off the ball once they get into full stride and when they get a moment to pick their heads up, they’ll find the pass that will set any of the forwards through on goal. If for whatever reason, they’re in the defensive third, tracking back for their team and the ball comes to them, they can turn or skip away from a marker and suddenly put the USWNT on the offense. Their ability to turn and run on the ball.īoth Rose Lavelle and Ashley Sanchez are technically gifted and can turn on a dime. If asked by Vlatko Andonovski to do the same, I have no doubts that both players will put in the required shifts to protect their backline. For both OL Reign and the Washington Spirit, Lavelle and Sanchez are asked to not only press but also track back to their own penalty area to keep the team’s defensive shape. Tactically, can both players cover the midfield from box to box if called upon? Yes, they can. The only other midfielder who seems to be able to do the same, change defense/possession into an attacking opportunity, is Ashley Sanchez so I want to make the case to start both players.įirst things first. ![]() ![]() Apart from a few instances, the USWNT had been unable to find Lavelle in between the lines during the first half but once they did, she showed how quickly she can not only create gaps due to her on-the-ball running, but that her eye for a pass can’t be replicated by many of the midfielders currently on the roster right now. After a turgid first half (which is the norm now for January USWNT matches), the second half saw a tactical change that allowed Rose Lavelle, and the player who was brought on for her Ashley Sanchez, to flourish against New Zealand’s midfield block. ![]()
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