“She’s completely excited for that,” is how Emma Hayes described Rose Lavelle‘s desire to play the return fixture of the doubleheader clash against the Republic of Ireland at the Cincinnati, Ohio-based TQL Stadium. Quite a natural reaction, especially knowing it was the USWNT midfielder’s hometown. Yet, even after knowing the significance of this match, guess how much Lavelle played?

5 minutes. Yes, you read that right! In another 4-0 win over the Irish women, the NJ/NY Gotham FC star came off the bench in the 87th minute. It definitely disappointed home fans who were eager to see their city’s soccer star Lavelle, get very little action on the field. Then again, one should know that Hayes had her own reasoning.  

“We respect that she’s been out a long period of time, so we can’t expect she’s going to play a game every four days,” began the 48-year-old in the aftermath of another identical win like the opening clash at Colorado’s DSG Park on Friday, June 27. Hayes said while she always intended to play Lavelle in the first and third games, she wasn’t too surprised to get ‘pressure‘ from the crowd for it.

However, the former Chelsea boss stressed that the player’s health came first, and a green light was needed from the medical staff and the performance teams before giving Lavelle any minute. “For five minutes it’s a nice cameo run out. I was desperate for her to get a goal and yes, she deserves her flowers because she’s unique in the world game,” remarked Emma, before giving her own tribute to the former Manchester City star.

“There’s not many players like Rose Lavelle and I genuinely think there is another level for her to go with our team,” added Hayes, before concluding, “I put her in to give the crowd the opportunity to acknowledge and embrace a very special human being.”

Honestly, quite a sensible decision from Hayes. After all, Rose Lavelle returned to action after 186 days, having suffered an ankle injury during the USWNT’s friendly against the Netherlands in December 2024. She made her comeback in the 73rd minute for Gotham FC on NWSL Matchday 11, which finally saw Emma call up the veteran midfielder for the USWNT roster.

Regardless, the good thing is that Lavelle was able to enjoy quite a moment in front of her hometown, which, mind you, had a greater role in compelling Emma Hayes to give the Gotham star her five minutes!

Cincinnati didn’t let down Rose Lavelle!

Before the game, Rose Lavelle confidently remarked that she was optimistic about her hometown turning up for her. “I’m excited to show everybody else what a great place it is, what a great atmosphere the stadium is,” she had remarked to US Soccer just a day before the game. The result? 24,016 fans at TQL Stadium turned out to support the USWNT, but most were there for one reason: to watch Rose Lavelle play in her hometown.

When that didn’t happen right away, the crowd took over, chanting in unison, “We want Lavelle,” with drums, claps, and shouts creating a powerful scene, as shown in a video shared by the USWNT on X. That moved the 30-year-old, waving to acknowledge the support. Her teammates joined in with playful rib jabs, prompting Rose to jokingly sprint toward the sideline before bursting into laughter. Eventually, Emma Hayes had no choice but to cave in, telling Lavelle to start warming up.

“You want Skyline Messi, you get Skyline Messi 🌹,” the USWNT captioned the moment as Lavelle got ready. Hayes even quipped, “Getting flowers from your peeps, eh?” before congratulating her. In the 87th minute, Lavelle replaced Samantha Meza, sending the crowd into ruptures. Five minutes on the field might not seem like much, but Cincinnati loved every second of seeing their star back in action.