Rose Lavelle has earned her place as a consistent starter in the NWSL and for the USWNT, but that success didn’t translate to her brief stint with Manchester City for the 2020-2021 season. The 26-year-old only started in three matches during her time in the Women’s Super League, scoring just one goal, despite only being a year removed from scoring the 2019 World Cup final.
“I think not really playing at Man City was definitely something that was challenging in the moment, but I actually feel like I was very consistent with my mental training and I think I came out so much stronger mentally for it,” Lavelle tells Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis on the latest episode of the Snacks podcast. “I do feel like I grew so much as a player and as a teammate too.”
Mewis and Lavelle both played for Manchester City, but while Mewis was a regular starter, Lavelle had a hard time finding her way onto the pitch.
While her time in Manchester City wasn’t necessarily productive on the field, off the pitch, Lavelle says she learned a lot about herself.
“It was definitely really hard, obviously nobody wants to be on the bench,” Lavelle says. “I feel like it was something that was very good in the long-term for my career to learn from and grow from.”
Lavelle credits her sports psych and mental training for getting her through the tough spots in her career.
“We’re gonna have lows and it’s just, as cliché as it sounds, it’s just how you respond and learn from it that matters.”
Listen to Lavelle talk more about her career for club and country on the Snacks podcast.