Trinity Rodman’s ready to bring the swagger

The United States Women’s National Team has had so many incredible players don the shirt and help the program to four Women’s World Cup titles. We’ve seen players with creativity, hunger, passion, fire, technical ability, speed, and maybe some combination of those abilities. When you speak of Trinity Rodman, you have to list every last one of those qualities ... with a dose of swagger on top. She represents the future of the USWNT, and she’s ready to merge the future with the present.

Rodman burst onto the scene in 2021, getting drafted by the NWSL’s Washington Spirit and immediately making an impact, scoring 5 minutes into her debut appearance. She had 8 goals and 6 assists across all competitions, winning NWSL Rookie of the Year, U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, and was a member of the NWSL Best XI. More importantly, she helped the Washington Spirit to the NWSL title.

And she did it with flair. If you see her hit the open field with the ball at her feet, you should stop what you’re doing and watch, because she’s more often than not going to do something spectacular. She’s a joy to watch because she goes right at opponents with the personal objective of putting them on a poster, and her technical skill with the ball will leave you breathless.

In January 2022, Trinity Rodman got her first call-up to the USWNT, and just a few weeks later, the Spirit made Rodman the highest-paid player in NWSL history. She has done nothing to make the Spirit feel like they made a mistake, quickly becoming one of the best young stars in a league full of them, and seemingly showing off new skills in each match she plays.

On the USWNT, Rodman has been able to fit in quickly, bringing an athleticism that few players can even begin to match. She’s not going to be denied, and that brings a dynamic to the USWNT that they didn’t have before. Again, they’ve had players that can check a couple of boxes, but Rodman could be that player in the starting lineup or off the bench that can check them all. Opponents should be terrified at the thought of Trinity Rodman stepping on the field ready to cook.

Rodman has had to adapt at times to life on the USWNT as well. Sometimes, she’s caged a bit as she enters the game to hold a lead or to continually press the opposing defense, hoping to push the opposition into making a mistake. That’s where she’s just as lethal as with the ball at her feet with open space to navigate. Being versatile is what brings her onto this roster, but her ability to be really good in all these areas and adapt to the situation is why she’s going to her first World Cup. She’s set to be one of the faces of the next generation of women’s sports, not just soccer, and she’s forming her own legacy that was earned by her achievements on the field.

Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Trinity Rodman is ready to announce her presence on the biggest stage in women’s soccer’s, and she’s not going to be quiet in doing it. She wants to seize the opportunity and make opponents wish they hadn’t dared step in open grass between her and the goal. Let’s hope fans didn’t plan on sitting during the Women’s World Cup, because when Trinity Rodman is on the attack, the best way to watch is to stand up and prepare for the spectacular.