Lilly Reales quick emergence as Gotham FC star has her in the USWNT mix

Sometimes, when an impressive opening act at the professional level and strong performances at the U23 camp string together, a first United States women’s national team call-up becomes inevitable. So Margueritte Aozasa knew it was “on the horizon” for Lilly Reale, she told The Post.Everything had been trending in that direction.

The UCLA coach spoke with friends who worked with the Gotham FC and former Bruins defender at the U23 sessions earlier this year, gathered plenty of positive reviews and then watched as Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós surprised Reale with the news in a team meeting earlier this week. Reale, one of three Gotham players (defender Emily Sonnett, midfielder Rose Lavelle) named to the training camp roster ahead of three upcoming friendlies, has already carved out a role as Gotham’s left back, starting 11 of their first 12 matches and blending her defensive roots with offensive potential.She logged a goal and an assist in her first seven matches.

She made a seamless position switch after college, too.And on a Gotham side filled with veterans, Reale has provided a jolt of youth to a lineup still searching for a rhythm as the NWSL season nears its five-week international break, with the USWNT chance just the latest tangible sign of her continued emergence. “We’re trying to help her in the adaptation,” Amorós said Friday ahead of their Saturday match against Bay FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium, “but she’s helping herself.” Reale’s route to Gotham veered away from the traditional one for college players, with the NWSL abolishing its draft last August in the new CBA.

That, Aozasa said, is ideal for someone such as Reale, who “should have the choice to go where she wants to go.” She trained with Gotham briefly last summer — something that’s common around the league for college players during the offseason — and relied upon those experiences, as well as the chance to continue working with veterans such as Sonnett...