No. 1 overall pick Rose Lavelle has signed with the Boston Breakers
“Of course selecting Rose at No. 1, we always knew we were going to sign her,” Breakers head coach Matt Beard said. “She is a talented footballer with a great future ahead of her.”
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Lavelle scored 22 goals and added 29 assists at Wisconsin and was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year as a junior and senior. She also appeared on the All-American list three times. Lavelle was first called into U.S. camp last year but has yet to be capped.
The announcement of the Breakers signing Lavelle to a standard player contract comes on the same day the news has broken that No. 13 Toni Payne has elected to sign with Ajax rather than play for FC Kansas City this season. It also does little to solve the riddle about U.S. Soccer subsidized players for the 2017 season.
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Last year, top pick Emily Sonnett had already been announced as an allocated player when she was drafted. This is the first year the information has not been made available in January, presumably because of the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations between the USWNT Players Association and U.S. Soccer.
Lavelle’s signing of a standard contract does not prevent her from becoming subsidized by U.S. Soccer at any time.
“I’m super excited to join the Breakers,” she said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to grow as a player in this league, with this coaching staff, and with this team.”
The Breakers also used 1st round picks on Morgan Andrews (No. 3), Ifeoma Omumonu (8), and Margaret Purce (9). Andrews and Purce were recently named to the U.S. U-23 national team.
