Trinity Rodman scores in first game back with USWNT, helping defeat Brazil 2-0

Trinity Rodman returned to the U.S. women’s national team on Saturday for the first time since last summer’s Olympic final and immediately returned to her goal scoring ways.

The forward scored the opening goal in the fifth minute as the U.S. defeated Brazil 2-0 in their gold medal rematch. Angel City forward and Los Angeles native Alyssa Thompson provided the assist for Rodman, deking past her defender and slotting the ball to Rodman as she darted in from the right wing. Rodman finished it off in front of 32,303 fans at SoFi Stadium. It was the venue’s first women’s sports event since it opened in 2020.

“It felt amazing, especially in this stadium. It was unreal,” Rodman told the TNT broadcast after the match. “I wanted to be a portable changer on the field. I wanted to be a provider of energy and to be able to charge everyone’s batteries. I think I did that pretty well today.”

Rodman said after the match that she felt happy with her and the team’s performance. It was more than just a simple return for her, as she balanced “bringing my level of competitiveness, my energy, but also trying to relearn a couple of new things while remembering the foundation of this team.”

She called this version of the USWNT a “newer team” but one with the same energy.

She celebrated her goal by faking a back injury before launching into a more celebratory dance. “Yeah, the medical staff was freaking out,” Rodman said in the mixed zone, laughing. “I should have told them beforehand for sure. But you know, you gotta keep people on their toes.”

Head coach Emma Hayes was amused but also exasperated in her postgame press conference about Rodman’s selection of celebration, immediately thinking her back was a real issue.

“I will have a word with her,” Hayes said, smiling, “because that’s like a cry-wolf moment.” She did quickly realize she had been tricked and said that she and Rodman have been trying to distract each other in various media availabilities too.

Rodman’s night ended after 61 minutes, as she was replaced by Michelle Cooper after another decent scoring opportunity that she couldn’t quite get on frame.

While the celebration was in jest, Rodman did put her hand to her back a few times during the match — including once after going down following a challenge and then getting slowly back to her feet. Rodman, who has had multiple back issues that have sidelined her in her young career, told reporters last week that she does not believe her back will ever be 100 percent.

“I’m happy with the progression that we’ve had,” Rodman said. “But for me, I don’t think my back will ever be the way it was my rookie year, which is unfortunate.”

“I just want Trin to be Trin,” head coach Emma Hayes said on Friday before playing Rodman for an hour against Brazil. “She brings so much lightness and energy to the group. We’ve really, really missed her and I’ve probably told her that 50 times this week.

“We miss her as a person, first and foremost, because she brings her own individuality into a team setting but is an absolutely fierce competitor. I think it’s been challenging to watch the team from afar.”

Midfielder Lindsey Heaps doubled the score in the second half via a penalty kick earned by substitute Lily Yohannes.

The U.S. started strong, controlling the pace of the game through the first portion of the first half, forcing Lorena into multiple stops. However, Brazil slowly gained control, maintaining momentum for most of the match’s remaining time. On the other end of the pitch, goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce made her debut for the U.S. and helped keep the team ahead until Heaps’ penalty iced the game.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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Trinity Rodman scores in first game back with USWNT, helping defeat Brazil 2-0

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