Does Rose Lavelle hold the key to gold for Team USA in Olympic women's football?

The United States Women's National Team (USWNT) have been waiting five years for their Rio redemption. Starting their Tokyo 2020 football campaign with a resounding 3-0 defeat to the Sweden side who knocked them out in 2016 wasn't part of the plan.

Rose Lavelle wasn’t part of the U.S. side who went crashing out in the quarter-finals at the last Games. She quickly found her feet in the senior team not long after.

After a disappointing opening group game in Tokyo for the 2019 World Cup winners, they finally appeared to find their rhythm against New Zealand with a thumping 6-1 win.

It was 26-year-old Lavelle who found the net nine minutes in to give the USA their opening goal of the tournament.

Could the midfielder, and her spell playing in Europe, be the key to gold for head coach Vlatko Andonovski and his side?

Lavelle is not haunted by Rio

If the USA do go on to win gold in Tokyo, it would come as no surprise that the likes of Christen Press and Crystal Dunn will be at the heart of it.

But perhaps one of the most important factors of Rose Lavelle's inclusion in the USA's squad is the fact that, unlike many teammates, Lavelle is not haunted by what happened in Rio.

Opening the scoring so early against New Zealand, on the back of the Sweden defeat felt, for many, like a huge indication of that.

The goal allowed them to take a breath, settle their nerves, and play their own game - and the final score would go onto reflect just that.

With the woes of Rio looming, it would have been easy for the World Champions to bury their heads after the opening game, but they did exactly the opposite; and Lavelle played a key role in doing so.

Big games, big moments

Lavelle is no stranger to big games on a big stage.

Despite only receiving her first start for the USWNT in early 2017 during the SheBelieves Cup, Lavelle has gone on to have big moments in a USA shirt.

And when it comes to international football, almost every player dreams of having the tournament of their life at the World Cup.

Lavelle lived that dream, and has the bronze boot to prove it.

Her game winning goal against The Netherlands in the World Cup final made her an overnight sensation worldwide, having helped her country to a second successive world title.

With the trust of her coach and teammates, she delivered.

Without the shadow of Rio, and having settled the dust with an opening goal at the tournament, there is ample opportunity for her to keep coming up with big game moments on the world stage.

Experience of playing abroad could be crucial

There is, perhaps, no greater motivation for a player than the feeling of having a point to prove.

After a subdued spell in Europe with Manchester City, Lavelle may have returned to the U.S. with that exact hunger stirring in her stomach.

That doesn't take away from the experience of playing abroad - helping to bring a new dimension to her game that was about more than just her ability going forward.

"I went to England because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and be in an environment that was going to make me very uncomfortable," Lavelle said, according to UPROXX.

"I think it’s been probably the best thing I could have done for my career. I was surrounded by world-class players who pushed me every day, and I experienced playing in different positions, which really helped me.

"It was challenging at the time and I think it took me a little bit of an adjustment period, but I think it definitely helped me become a more well-rounded player and tune up some things that I needed to work on."

Teammate Megan Rapinoe also feels that Lavelle still has even more to give.

"I don't even think Rose has scratched the surface on how good she will eventually be," Rapinoe told ESPN.

Having shown glimpses of it on occasions, USWNT fans will be hoping Lavelle can tap into her full potential to deliver on yet another big occasion at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.