It was a return to play that couldn’t have been scripted any better than if it were written by a dream weaver. It’s been 114 days since 23-year-old forward Trinity Rodman played in a professional soccer match and nearly a year since she last scored a goal, as the U.S. women’s national team player worked her way back from a lengthy back injury.
Rodman made her return off the bench as a late-game sub for the Washington Spirit against the Portland Thorns on Sunday, and then came the fireworks. After a four-month absence to rehab her back, she scored the game winner in stoppage time with a brilliant strike. A cross into the box by Courtney Brown was flicked on by midfielder Croix Bethune for an open Rodman near the far post, and the winger hammered home the goal. It was a highly emotional moment for the player and her teammates.Take a look:
“We had to adjust a little bit second half. It wasn’t as clean as we wanted it to be, but still created a lot of opportunities. I’m so proud of the team. Obviously, I’ve been away, and they’ve been putting in that work when I haven’t been here, so I’m just grateful to be back on the field with them. They’re in full support of me. I’m in full support of them, and with the celebration, them, like, just hugging me was the best thing ever,” Rodman said after the game.
The Washington Spirit winger is no stranger to health concerns with her back. Rodman has dealt with back tightness since her rookie season in 2021, and general flare-ups, but post the Olympic gold medal win, her back pain considerably worsened. In 2025, it’s been a trial-and-error process of time off, rest, and trying new methods of managing her back.
In November, after subbing out of the 2024 NWSL Championship in pain, Rodman was given extended time off from national team camps as well. She was not a part of January camps or the 2025 SheBelieves Cup roster and spent time building up minutes when the 2025 NWSL regular season began in March. She featured against Brazil during the April international window, but following the two-game series, the Washington Spirit said the player would be away from team activity to manage her injury, with no timetable for her return.
After the game, Rodman spoke about the emotions of her return to play and the work she’s done to get back on the pitch.
“It was just the hardest thing I’ve had to go through with injury and everything. So being back, especially at the home stadium, with the crowd behind me, scoring a goal like that. You saw, I buried it, I was not gonna miss it. So yeah, I’m just really happy to be back. I miss the team. I miss doing what I love,” she said.
“I was doing a lot of work behind the scenes by myself. I was getting fit, obviously, not in a team environment, which was kind of difficult to replicate as best I could by myself. But yeah, I was working a lot on my endurance. I was working a lot on getting my back to work the way that it should, and kind of tweaking certain things in the way that I moved. So, yeah, feels great to be back. Trainings have been amazing since I’ve been back, and I’m just going to keep building.”
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