REIMS, France _ Rose Lavelle turned to her right and placed her hand on her chin with an expectant smirk directed at her coach, Jill Ellis, who was just asked what Lavelle brings to the United States women's national team.
"I'm going to talk about you right now," Ellis said to her midfielder with a chuckle. "I've had the privilege of knowing Rose for a long time now and she's a joy."
Ellis went on to describe how Lavelle is a creative player with a strong work ethic who consistently pushes to get better on and off the field. Ellis said during the 2-0 Sweden win, Lavelle displayed what she can do in terms of the final pass and creating separation between opposing players.
"She's actually one of the best players in the air," Ellis continued. "She's got a lot of tools in her toolbag _ and her head is growing massively right now."
"I'm one of the best in the air?" Lavell said quietly with a doubtful look on her face.
"You are. Your timing is really good. We've got some beasties in the air, but you get up there," Ellis replied.
Lavelle, 24, has emerged as one of the most important creative playmakers for the United States since returning from a 2017 hamstring injury. She scored two goals and an assist during the Americans' 13-0 win over Thailand, Lavelle's World Cup debut. She then remained on the bench against Chile because Ellis rotated most of the lineup, before returning to the starting XI for the final group stage match against Sweden.
The U.S. next faces Spain in the round of 16 Monday at noon ET in Reims.
"I always say I'm very grateful to the coaching staff, because during my injury when I was coming back with that, they were really patient and they always had this belief in me that I was going to come back be the same player that I was before," Lavelle said. "Knowing that I have their confidence helped me get back to that point, and I'm learning something everyday."
