Why Cincinnati is USWNT Rose Lavelle’s Dream Vacation  

If anyone asks Rose Lavelle of her dream vacation, she simply answers, “Cincinnati, Ohio.”

The love Lavelle has for her hometown makes her homecoming all the sweeter. Lavelle and the USWNT face the Republic of Ireland at TQL Stadium on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, and the midfielder relishes the opportunity to return and play in front of a hometown crowd.

“I love being home as much as possible,” Lavelle said. “I'm really excited to show everybody else what a great place it is, what a great atmosphere the stadium is.”

The city shaped Lavelle into the person and player she’s become. Lavelle recalls the U.S. Women’s National Team visiting Cincinnati when she was a child in October 2004. The U.S. beat New Zealand 6-0 in an international friendly in front of more than 18,000 fans, and a young Lavelle was forever changed.

“I already was obsessed with them, but I think being able to see Mia Hamm, Julie [Foudy], Kristine Lilly, all of them in person just made me really, really want to be in their shoes one day,” Lavelle said. “I kind of credit that moment to helping inspire me to get here.”

Hamm and Lilly scored in the shutout victory as the USWNT was just months removed from winning its second Olympic gold medal. Now, Lavelle is in their shoes, almost a year after helping the U.S. earn its fifth gold medal. It was the midfielder’s first significant tournament win since the 2019 World Cup.

Lavelle played once before in her favorite place in 2021, where she scored a goal and recorded three assists in the USA’s 8-0 rout over Paraguay. This time, she’s coming off an ankle injury that required surgery in January 2025. While she says she doesn’t feel 100 percent, that didn’t stop her from taking over the first match against Ireland. In her first game back, Lavelle contributed a goal and an assist.

“Rose is a world-class football player,” head coach Emma Hayes said. “I've said it so many times, when I came into this job, she was probably the one player I was really looking forward to working with. I think the structure in the team has allowed her game to elevate to another level, and what we saw the other night was how much we've missed her.”

On Thursday against Ireland, she became the 19th player in USWNT history to record 25 or more goals and assists, joining the likes of Hamm, Lilly and Foudy — the same players she grew up idolizing. Now, Lavelle hopes to be that inspiration to young soccer fans.

“I feel like it's kind of a full-circle moment to be able to give back to the sport in the same way that it gave to me,” Lavelle said. “Hopefully, every girl and boy in Cincinnati can look up to me and realize that they can be in this position, too.”