Team News: Lavelle Set for First Start of Season

Star midfielder Rose Lavelle is set to make her first start of the 2025 campaign after first appearing in two matches as a substitute following her return from offseason ankle surgery.

The World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist came off the bench on June 7 for her season debut against the Kansas City Current, pressuring a Current defender into an own goal in stoppage time. She helped Gotham FC see out a 3-0 win – down two players due to red cards – last weekend in Utah.

In tonight’s 7:30 p.m. home showdown against Bay FC, Lavelle represents one of two changes to coach Juan Carlos Amorós’s setup, joining the starting lineup alongside Nealy Martin. Two starters in Utah, Jess Carter and Jaelin Howell, will miss the match through suspension from the aforementioned red cards.

The match will be broadcast on ION, which is available for free on a variety of platforms. See IonNWSL.com for more information.

Gotham FC (4-5-3, 15 points) can finish the first half of the season on a high with a second consecutive win. The club claimed the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup in late May but had been struggling in domestic competition until the Utah win two Fridays ago.

Lavelle, 30, joins a midfield that has played a lot together, with rookie Sarah Schupansky making her 11th start in 13 appearances and Taryn Torres her fourth consecutive start across all competitions. The University of Pittsburgh graduate Schupansky leads all rookies with three assists, and her team-best 18 key passes tie her for 10th in the NWSL.

Martin will slot into defense in Carter’s absence, once again showing her versatility. The Alabama native has rotated between center back, right back and central midfield this season, with tonight’s start her 11th of the campaign.

Captain Mandy Freeman teams up with Martin along the back line, with Emily Sonnett and Lilly Reale, who just received her first U.S. Women’s National Team call-up at just 21. Like her fellow rookie Schupansky, Reale has been excellent in her first pro campaign, ranking fifth in the NWSL in tackles won, seventh in crosses into the penalty area and 10th in crosses.

The league’s golden boot leader Esther González again leads the line up front, with her nine goals in 12 matches scintillating the NWSL. The Spaniard can set a new league record with her next brace – two goals in one game – after registering four through the first half of this season. She’ll be flanked by the Brazilian duo of Bruninha and Geyse.

The substitutes bench includes goalkeepers Ryan Campbell and Shelby Hogan; defender Emerson Elgin; midfielders Sofia Cook, Josefine Hasbo and Stella Nyamekye; and forwards Khyah Harper, Midge Purce and Mak Whitham.

Defender Tierna Davidson and forwards Gabi Portilho, Jéssica Silva and Ella Stevens were previously listed as out on the NWSL player availability report.

Gotham FC lineup vs. Bay FC

30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK)

22 – Mandy Freeman (c)

14 – Nealy Martin

6 – Emily Sonnett

4 – Lilly Reale

8 – Taryn Torres

11 – Sarah Schupansky

16 – Rose Lavelle

3 – Bruninha

9 – Esther González

10 – Geyse

Substitutes: 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK), 12 – Ryan Campbell (GK); 5 – Josefine Hasbo, 17 – Mak Whitham, 21 – Sofia Cook, 23 – Midge Purce, 24 – Emerson Elgin, 34 – Khyah Harper, 90 – Stella Nyamekye