Winning a World Cup just isn’t enough for Rose Lavelle.
And why should it be? Lavelle, a midfielder for the U.S. Women’s National Team and Cincinnati native, clearly is MVP material, having won the honor in Wednesday’s winning match of the 2021 SheBelieves Cup.
Lavelle helped her team to a tournament victory over all three days of play, scoring the winning goal against Canada and earning an assist against Argentina.
“Honestly I don’t know how I won that,” Lavelle told reporters after the game. “It’s always nice to be recognized, but I think there were other people that deserved it more.”
With this victory, the USWNT -- which also includes Lavelle’s 2019 World Cup colleague Megan Rapinoe -- brings its SheBelieves titles to four. The team is the first back-to-back champion in the tournament’s six-year history and the first team to have three shutouts at the competition, according to U.S. Soccer.
Lavelle was vital to the USWNT’s exuberant World Cup victory in 2019. The midfielder started all six games and scored three goals, including one in the finals against the Netherlands. She subsequently was named among top players in The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019, and peers chose her as one of the top three midfielders in the 2019 FIFA FIFPro World XI.
But after last night's SheBelieves Cup win, it’s probably a good day to celebrate with selfies in front of the mural of Lavelle downtown at The Banks.
“I love the support that Cincinnati has been giving me. I feel it everywhere I go, not just when I’m home, but when I’m away playing,” Lavelle said during an interview after the mural was unveiled in 2019. “I love this city so much, and I can’t thank it enough for all the support it’s given me.”