OL Reign has gained NWSL rights to U.S. National Women’s Team’s star midfielder Rose Lavelle in a trade with the Washington Spirit, ahead of her move to Manchester City.
The United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT) is the United States international women’s soccer team. They are the most successful team in international women’s soccer and have won four Women’s World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, and eight CONCACAF Gold Cups. The most recent of their achievements is the 2019 World Cup win, after a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in the finals.
The 25-year-old is expected to leave the league and sign with Manchester City this week after multiple people close to the player confirmed.
OL Reign is reportedly gambling on Lavelle returning to the league in the next few years and have opted to sign her NWSL rights.
The Tacoma-based club announced on Sunday that they have given up a first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL College Draft, a $100,000 allocation money, and additional allocation money dependent on Lavelle’s future in the NWSL, all in a trade for Lavelle.
Rose Lavelle has been with USWNT since 2017. She had a breakout season last year in the team’s 2019 World Cup title run. In six starts, she scored three goals and was voted the third-best player at the competition, claiming the Bronze Ball.
Speaking on a news release, OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore said: “Rose is an incredible talent that we believe has all the attributes to be the best player in the world,” he added, “While we would have loved to have Rose join our club today, she fits perfectly into our long-term vision for the squad. It was the vision of Jean-Michel and the support of OL that made this deal possible for our club. We are willing to make the necessary short-term sacrifices, exercise the needed patience, and do whatever work is required to realize our goal of bringing Rose to OL Reign in the future.”
The 25-year-old spent the last three seasons with Washington Spirit, making 21 appearances across all competitions.
“Rose truly is a world-class player and working with her has been an incredibly enjoyable experience,” Coach Richie Burke said in a statement. “I wish her the very best of luck and the good fortune to stay healthy as she moves to the next phase of her career.”
