Trinity Rodman has turned up the soccer scene in America. She was the youngest NWSL draftee at the time. But it wasn’t an issue for her. She had prepared her whole life for this moment. Riding high on confidence, Rodman believed in her abilities. Realistically speaking, the anxiety kicked in as time passed. In 4 seasons, she has seen it all: trophies, praises, criticisms, and challenges. She helped the Washington Spirit to win the 2021 NWSL Championship and 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup.
In the 2021 NWSL Draft, Trinity Rodman was the first pick (2nd overall) of Washington Spirit. The challenge, though, was her age. She was only 18 years old. While talking about the NWSL journey during Sports on Prime video, she confessed, “When I got drafted DC, I was thinking I have never been to DC. Oh, this is going to be fun. I think the scariest part was building relationships at 18 years old.” That’s right.
Since 2022, the average age of NWSL players is 27 years old. And she was just 18 when the Spirit drafted her. The challenges were bound to be there. But the love for the game superseded everything. It also helped the forward player to make that bond with her teammates. Over the years, she became close friends with the Spirit teammate Ashley Sanchez, 4 years older than her.
Trinity Rodman didn’t expect she would make her place so easily. But she maneuvered the challenges with grace. Last year, she helped the national team clinch the women’s soccer gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In 2024, she also became the youngest player to score a brace in USWNT history.
While talking about her progression in the league, she added, “It’s crazy, but this will be my 4th year and I’m still younger than the rookies. I feel like I have done a good job to figure out the balance of the leadership role and also, the learning, developing role, but I still have a lot to learn.”
She is only 22. So, there is a lot of soccer left ahead for her. While she has won laurels in America, it alone isn’t sufficient to make the legacy she wants to build.
Trinity Rodman ready for international competition
Although soccer is a team sport, the NWSL franchise recognized her towering presence and signed a $1.1 million extension in 2021. She became the highest-paid NWSL athlete. The US Soccer Federation awarded her the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year honor in 2021. Not only America, even the world is taking notice of her crazy talent. The British daily, The Guardian, voted her 5th among the top 100 footballers of the world.
The athlete in Trinity Rodman is also looking for more. It’s the only way she can create more legacy. A few days back, she told ESPN’s Futbol W, “I’ve always thought about playing overseas at some point in my career.” That’s the way ahead. Many others, such as Naomi Girma, Jenna Nighswonger, Kerolin, and Crystal Dunn, have followed the same route.
American icon Becky Sauerbrunn called it a right move, claiming the European soccer is greater than the American league. But she also claimed the NWSL could stop her with a $5 million deal. It’s just a plan in Rodman’s mind. She hasn’t finalized anything. Don’t forget, she is only 22 years old and has many years of sport left in her.
It would be interesting to see how she plays ahead. In an interview last December, she claimed she didn’t want to score a thousand goals. Rather, she would like to change the game with her skills and bring fun to it. That’s a pretty deep statement. She definitely loves the sport from her heart.
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