Trinity Rodman says she is enjoying the “new and improved” version of herself after putting the injury problems that disrupted much of last season behind her and delivering arguably the best NWSL campaign of her career.
The Washington Spirit forward played a decisive role in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Bay FC at Audi Field, helping end Washington’s four-game winless run and move the team back into second place in the NWSL standings.
Rodman’s shot in first-half stoppage time struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced down near the goal line. Paige Metayer followed up to ensure the ball crossed the line, bundling it into the net for the only goal of the match.
Although the goal was officially credited to Metayer, Rodman admitted she would have liked to claim it herself while celebrating her teammate’s contribution.
“I’m happy that she was there to just make sure it was in the back of the net,” Rodman told reporters after the game. “But yes, of course I want the goal. Any forward in that moment’s going to fight for that to be their goal. But we’ll see.”
Trinity Rodman’s injury comeback
Whether the goal is eventually credited to Rodman or not, the sequence highlighted how dramatically her circumstances have changed over the past year. The 24-year-old missed nearly four months of last season because of a persistent back problem, stepping away from Spirit activities in April after years of recurring spasms and related issues.
The problems were serious enough that Rodman told ESPN in March 2025 that she did not believe her back would ever be completely healthy. After returning to training in July, she acknowledged that she would need to modify her style of play, particularly her willingness to throw herself into tackles and physical challenges.
Rodman returned against the Portland Thorns on Aug. 3 that year after almost four months out and immediately scored a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 Spirit victory. One year later, the forward says her availability has been just as important as her production.
Rodman has started all 21 of Washington’s league matches this season, playing 1,772 minutes. Her 10 goals are already a single-season career high, surpassing the eight she scored in 2024. She has also provided five assists.
Reflecting on last season, when she was unsure whether she could return as the same player, Rodman said she has enjoyed her development while maintaining her core identity.
“I feel the journey’s been fun,” she said. “But it’s the same identity. Just tweaked a couple of things.”
Those changes have focused on adjusting the way she plays to help keep her on the field.
“I’m still trying as hard as I can not to throw my body around the way I used to. But I’m really happy with not only the success I’ve had and the goals I’ve scored, just my availability.”
“I’ve played almost every single minute this season. So just to be able to flip that from barely playing last season to then coming in this season and being able to be on the field all the time, I think I’m just really happy. And I’m just keeping my body right so I can stay on the field.”
“But yeah, I am very happy with the new and improved version of myself. I’m the same Trin, just improved little parts of my game.”
Rodman reaches new NWSL career highs
Rodman’s availability has been matched by some of the strongest numbers of her six-year professional career. Her 10 goals and five assists give her 15 goal contributions in 21 league appearances, already exceeding her previous career best of 14 in 2024.
She entered Sunday’s match tied with Ashley Hatch for the most regular-season goal contributions in Spirit history, with 61. Her performance against Bay FC moved her ahead of Hatch.
Sunday’s contribution came at an important time for Washington. The Spirit entered August near the top of the NWSL standings but had gone winless in four straight matches, losing to San Diego Wave, North Carolina Courage and Orlando Pride, with a 1-1 draw against Angel City between the latter two defeats.
Rodman scored Washington’s goal against Angel City, her 10th of the season, but the Spirit had not won since July 26.
Although the winless run was difficult for Washington, the team’s star forward said the experience could benefit a squad with championship ambitions.
“Yeah, it feels good,” Rodman said about returning to winning ways. “I don’t like saying ‘losing streak’ just because I think it’s part of the game. You’re going to lose games throughout the season. I think for it to be picture perfect going to the playoffs, it’s kind of scary.”
“So I’m honestly glad that we went through that. Now we have had the ups and downs, we know how to handle it. We know how to flip the script.”
“But yeah, we’re very relieved. And coach gave us an extra off day, so we’re also really happy about that.”
Washington Spirit improve attacking connection
Washington had to work hard for the result. Bay FC recorded 19 shots to the Spirit’s 16 and forced goalkeeper Sandy MacIver into four saves, but Washington found the breakthrough four minutes into first-half stoppage time.
Sofia Cantore released Rodman down the left, and the forward drove into the penalty area before striking the crossbar. The ball dropped near the goal line before Metayer arrived to ensure it crossed.
Rodman said the goal also demonstrated improvement from an attacking unit that had struggled to connect consistently during Washington’s recent difficult run.
“We worked off of each other a lot better today,” she said. “We held possession a little bit higher than we have.”
“Even just the distances between the attacking group was a lot better. Even just on that goal, me and Sof working off each other.”
“I think that’s something we’ve been lacking, is finding that ball into the nine. It’s always kind of just been me and Kate playing on the line. So to be able to open that up was really good, and I think that made a big difference with even just opening up spaces.”
Rodman’s influence extended beyond the attack. In the 87th minute, she made a tackle near Washington’s penalty area and carried the ball forward, eventually drawing a foul and yellow card against Bay FC’s Maddie Moreau.
During stoppage time, Rodman repeatedly took possession near the corner to help Washington run down the clock and secure its first victory in more than a month.
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