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July 21 (UPI) — United States National Team manager Vlatko Andonovski informed reporters on Friday that midfielder Rose Lavelle and forward Megan Rapinoe will have limited playing time at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The U.S. women’s team will commence their campaign for a historic third consecutive World Cup title with their first match against Vietnam at 9 p.m. EDT on Friday in Auckland, New Zealand.
“Everybody is fit and available to play,” Andonovski stated. “We may need to manage the minutes for a couple of players, but in terms of health and medical readiness, everyone is prepared to participate.”
Lavelle, Rapinoe, and Julie Ertz were absent from the USA’s final pre-World Cup game, a 2-0 victory over Wales on July 9 in San Jose, Calif.
Lavelle sustained a knee injury on April 9 and has not played since. Rapinoe has been sidelined with a calf injury since June 10.
“Rose has made significant progress,” Andonovski remarked. “She has been training with the team for the past three weeks, and even before that, she intermittently trained with us. She is ready to play, but we won’t rush her minutes initially. We will gradually increase her involvement as the tournament progresses.”
Andonovski also confirmed that midfielder Julie Ertz, who recovered from a knee injury and returned from maternity leave, is fully healthy.
“In terms of managing playing time, Julie is at 100%, while Megan is in a similar situation to Rose,” Andonovski stated. “Her minutes will likely increase as the tournament unfolds.”
Rapinoe, who will be making her 200th international appearance on Friday, has announced her retirement after the 2023 NWSL season. The two-time World Cup champion was awarded the Golden Boot and Golden Ball accolades at the 2019 tournament, given to the top goal scorer and top player, respectively.
Andonovski mentioned that Rapinoe will assume a “different role” at the 2023 World Cup. The U.S. roster boasts several outstanding forwards, including veteran Alex Morgan and young talents Sophia Smith (22), Trinity Rodman (21), and Alyssa Thompson (18).
The U.S. women’s game against Vietnam will be broadcasted on Fox. Their second group stage match will be against the Netherlands at 9 p.m. on Wednesday in Wellington, New Zealand. They will conclude Group E play with a game against Portugal at 3 a.m. on August 1 in Auckland.
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