Rose Lavelle is a difference-maker. You don’t have to look far to see that. In the 2019 World Cup final, she provided the memorable insurance goal for the United States in a 2-0 win over the Netherlands on the way to the nation’s fourth World Cup trophy. But that one moment, seeing space and taking on two Dutch defenders isn’t all there is to Lavelle’s role in this team.
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She’s a player with strong 1v1 capability, someone who finds space even in the tightest of areas and is a crucial link to the U.S. attack in the final third. And, to head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s potential dismay: even if she starts against the Netherlands on Wednesday, she isn’t likely a 90-minute player just yet.
Before the 2023 World Cup, there was a question about whether Lavelle could be counted on to feature in every match after suffering an injury in the second game of the NWSL season. Even when Lavelle made the roster, her lack of minutes made it clear she’d need to be eased back into action.
“We’re happy with the players that we have in that position, which is Ashley Sanchez and Sav(annah) DeMelo. If needed at certain points over certain games, we feel comfortable with them stepping in,” Andonovski said the day the USWNT roster was released. “With Sav DeMelo, in the last few weeks, we did extensive work as well. Part of the reason why (she was called in) is because of the news that we may have with the minutes that need to be managed for Rose.”
Singling DeMelo out for praise felt necessary — after all, she was the first player in 20 years to make a USWNT World Cup roster without any previous senior caps. Andonovski continued to display his vote of confidence in her when he started her in the opener against Vietnam.
After entering the tournament as this roster’s most untested player, however, DeMelo’s first start for the USWNT showed that she is a viable option should Lavelle need to split her minutes.
A sorely needed ball progression
The Andonovski era (or his first cycle, should he stay on beyond this tournament) has not always produced the usual world-dominating results which have often come naturally for the program. His team’s style of play can, at times, seemingly take goals off of the United States’ tally to ensure a more stabilized game state.
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Injuries to creative players like Lavelle, Catarina Macario, Mallory Swanson and Sam Mewis, in addition to player turnover, have impacted the United States’ ability to progress the ball beyond the midfield and into the final third with their usual ease. As the roster submission deadline neared for this tournament and Lavelle was still questionable for inclusion, it wasn’t clear how the team would break lines and turn possession into dangerous chances.
Against Vietnam, we saw that it isn’t just something that DeMelo can help with — it’s arguably something that she can do more capably than anyone on the roster outside of Lavelle.
DeMelo wasn’t just selective with her passes — she was equally effective. The Racing Louisville midfielder completed 12 of 13 passes that didn’t qualify as a cross. While she didn’t connect either cross attempt, both were sent into the box, making a turnover a less dangerous outcome.
In total, 41.7% of her pass attempts were progressive (meaning they moved at least 10 yards closer to goal than where she originated her attempt). That was by far the highest rate among the USWNT’s starters (Lindsey Horan is next at 30.4%) and the fourth-highest among all players across the 32 nations who started the first match of the World Cup group stage and attempted at least 10 passes.
She didn’t have nearly the volume of passes of fellow starting midfielders Horan (62) or Andi Sullivan (44) or even Lavelle (19) in her 27 minutes from the bench in DeMelo’s place. That said, DeMelo was a sorely needed outlet to get the ball forward whenever it was at her feet. It isn’t just a case of taking the initiative against a team the U.S. expected to beat; a closer look at the tape shows just how instinctually these decisions come to DeMelo during the run of play.
In the 28th minute, Horan plays a ball to Sophia Smith after her fellow Colorado native already opened the scoring. DeMelo reading the play to give another progressive pass option, stops her run to track the outcome once it finds Smith.
Smith can’t quite knock the ball forward, with it caroming straight up and a bit behind her and her defensive mark. DeMelo reads the trajectory and heads toward the ball, allowing Smith to continue her progress toward the box. Given the area she’s leaving to get the ball, her body is facing the United States defense. Throughout much of the opening half hour, the team’s instinct was the recirculate in these situations to retain possession rather than forcing an eventual turnover.
DeMelo has other ideas.
The trailing Vietnam defender has converged toward the ball, working to eliminate the option of sending a pass back to Horan. Instead, DeMelo nods the ball over her right shoulder and turns on a dime, taking the additional space afforded to her by the defense to continue an attacking sequence. She settles the ball with the outside of her right foot to create a slightly larger window between the three defenders who are quickly closing in on the ball.
While defenders 1 and 3 close the angle down, defender 2 has two options: provide additional shielding in hopes of forcing a potential turnover just outside of the box or stick with Alex Morgan at the top of the mixer. The split-second of indecision is all DeMelo needs, threading a sublime ball through the trio and into Morgan’s stride beyond defender 2.
Ultimately, however, her pass is hit with a little too much juice. DeMelo does a bunny hop as Morgan’s first touch goes above her shoulders. Morgan does well to settle it and get it onto her stronger left foot, sending a shot just beyond the far post. While the weight of the pass could be refined, it’s an easier tweak for future games than her ability to read space and pick a pass.
Another area that helps DeMelo stand out is her ability on set pieces. With Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe on the bench to begin the match against Vietnam, DeMelo handled dead ball responsibilities.
Savannah DeMelo set piece (USA v VIE)
Video credit: FIFA and Sport TV pic.twitter.com/1gR10YSnhp
— jr_gifs (@jr_gifs) July 24, 2023
In the above video, DeMelo takes what’s essentially a condensed corner kick and is able to get the ball over the leaping one-defender wall and into the open space where Horan and Julie Ertz converge for a near-post header. Ertz is unable to direct it on-frame, but the ball is exactly where it needed to be. It looks easy, but the placement is made more difficult with so little room to curl it above the marking defender while getting the ideal height and placement for teammates in the box.
In total, DeMelo was able to help the U.S. work up the field against an opponent playing in a defensive low block. Even better, she turned that progress into chances while simultaneously giving Trinity Rodman an outlet to recirculate without needing to send it back into the middle or defensive thirds.
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Even with limited time on the ball, DeMelo showed why she earned a surprise inclusion on Andonovski’s World Cup roster before even debuting for the USWNT. What she achieved in her first international start also suggests that she’ll be more than capable of handling responsibilities when Lavelle and Rapinoe aren’t on the field.
(Top photo: Brad Smith/Getty Images)
