WHEN Manchester City take to the pitch on Sunday for their game against Brighton and Hove Albion, their starting XI will boast a player who is arguably the best in the world.

Having completed the mandatory 14-day period of self-isolation required of someone arriving in Britain from abroad during this time, Rose Lavelle was finally able to take part in her first training session for her new club at the City Football Academy on Thursday.

She joined fellow new signings Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Chloe Kelly and compatriot Sam Mewis in a squad that made waves in the Women’s Super League (WSL) even before a ball was first kicked last weekend.

The signings of Mewis and Lavelle in particular felt significant. They were both part of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) that won its fourth World Cup in France last year, and Lavelle especially impressed during the tournament.

She missed out on the Golden Ball thanks to the iconic performances, on and off the pitch, of co-captain and eventual 2019 Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Megan Rapinoe, while the impressive displays of England right-back and now teammate, Bronze, meant Lavelle had to settle for bronze herself when it came to those end-of-competition awards. 

But many who followed the excellent, widespread coverage of that tournament will have picked out Lavelle as the outstanding, or at least the most eye-catching player.

Her signing, even on a short-term contract, cannot be underestimated, but rather than be the one big transfer story in women’s football towards the end of this summer, Lavelle’s move to England was just part of a movement of star players to the Women’s Super League.

At the time of their World Cup win last year, all players in the USWNT squad played their football back home in the US. Four of them now play in England, and the quartet chose Manchester as their destination.

Manchester United Women formed just over two years ago but have signalled their intent this year by signing two US stars of their own, Tobin Heath and Christen Press.

“Tobin Heath is another absolute bona fide star, as is Christen Press,” women’s football expert Tim Stillman told the Football Today podcast. “These are two players that really push the quality of that Manchester United squad up.”

“It’s a statement from Manchester United to say: ‘We might start throwing the money around a bit sooner than anticipated.’ 

“United will consider themselves an outsider for third place and Champions League qualification and this certainly brings them closer to that conversation.”

A disrupted and then postponed 2020 domestic season in the US led these high-profile players to seek football elsewhere, and the FA Women’s Super League has become the obvious destination.

Though the US’s top-flight league, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), was able to complete its month-long Challenge Cup competition in July, the regular season was eventually cancelled. 

Amid the uncertainty around the handling of coronavirus in the US, many players took the opportunity to move to England where the situation is better, even if only slightly. 

For many of these players, the decision would have been made on the basis that they can keep their foot on the ball and their mind on the game in competitive matches ahead of the Olympics in 2021.

It also provides a rare chance for these players to play abroad. Their contracts are linked more to the US Soccer Federation than they are to specific clubs, which means they don’t often move outside the US to play their football, as evidenced by that 2019 World Cup squad.

NWSL clubs OL Reign, North Carolina Courage, Portland Thorns and Utah Royals retain the league “rights” to Lavelle, Mewis, Heath and Press respectively, but these players have seized the opportunity to experience something new, and the Manchester clubs pounced on this chance to sign world-class players, even if only on short-term loan-like deals.

Even though United are a relatively new side, there will still be a natural local rivalry between themselves and City. When the two meet in November, it will be a star-studded affair and perhaps an unexpected showcase of women’s football on a global scale, rather than of just the WSL.

The arrival of these big names makes the lack of opportunities for supporters to attend games in person all the more disappointing, but City’s game against Brighton is available to watch for free on the FA Player, as are most of the other games, including the Championship game between Durham and Lewes at midday on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, the game between Chelsea and Bristol City on the same day is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer and red button.

These aren’t ideal circumstances for the return of football, especially without fans present, but these same circumstances have presented clubs and players with an opportunity, one which this group of UWSNT players and both Manchester clubs have taken full advantage of.