Heading into Wednesday’s World Cup roster announcement, Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle were two of the biggest question marks for the U.S. women’s national team.
Lavelle has been battling a knee injury that has sidelined her since April, while Rapinoe had to leave OL Reign’s game against Kansas City on June 10 with a calf issue.
Thankfully for the USWNT, both players were included on the World Cup roster as they look to help the team secure an unprecedented third straight title.
Speaking to reporters after naming his roster, USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski offered positive updates on the OL Reign duo, saying he expects both of them to take part in the send-off match against Wales on July 9.
“The situation with Rose Lavelle right now is not something that we’re worried about,” Andonovski said. “We expect Rose to have minutes in our send-off game and then we’ll move on from there and manage the minutes accordingly.”
The coach added that if Lavelle isn’t able to play, he feels comfortable with the other two options on the roster at her position.
“We’re happy with the players that we have in that position, which is Ashley Sanchez and [Savannah] DeMelo. If needed at certain points of a game or in certain games, we feel comfortable with them stepping in.”
The coach said Rapinoe will play a different role this year than during her Golden Ball-winning 2019 World Cup, but he expects her to be healthy for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
“Megan Rapinoe is probably going to have a different role than the previous two World Cups,” Andonovski said. “She certainly is going to have different types of minutes, but her role first from a leadership standpoint is so important, but also her performance on the field. When she is on the field she is very valuable for us.
“She’s progressing well from her injury and she’s another one that is expected to have minutes in the send-off game.”
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