Soccer star Trinity Rodman returned to play for the Washington Spirit over the weekend in her first game in nearly four months.
Rodman helped secure a 2-1 win for the Spirit in their Aug. 3 matchup against the Portland Thorns, scoring a late goal after a 1-1 tie.
The 23-year-old forward, who wears a No. 2 jersey, said in an emotional interview after the game that coming back to the pitch while dealing with an injury over the last year wasn't easy.
"Holy cow, that was just the hardest thing I've had to go through, with injury and everything," Rodman said as she wiped away tears. "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 going to miss it. I'm just really happy to be back."
Rodman has been adjusting since making her Olympics debut with the U.S. women's national soccer team at the 2024 Paris Games.
"I think that's been the hardest thing ... processing that, going from Olympics to then kind of coming back, not really having a break, kind of flying in the league after the Olympics and then injuring myself," Rodman said in a post-game press conference.
Rodman is determined to build her legacy on the soccer field. The Newport Beach, California, native told Vogue ahead of the Paris Olympics last year that she was also excited to shine a spotlight on women's soccer and help push the sport forward on the world stage.
"For me, the biggest thing with the Olympics or the World Cup or any large-scale tournament in general is that I feel like each is an opportunity to change the women's game in one way or another," Rodman said in part at the time. "Whether that's expanding the fan base, showing off different styles of play, [demonstrating] creativity in the way we play and the way we score, the way we celebrate; if it's fashion, if it's swag, I think all of these major tournaments are huge platforms that we can use in such an amazing way."
Earlier this summer, Rodman returned to France to show her support for her boyfriend, American tennis star Ben Shelton, at the 2025 French Open.
Rodman was photographed sitting in the stands next to Shelton's dad as they watched his third-round victory at Roland-Garros.
Rodman and Shelton appeared to go Instagram official back in March, and Rodman has been spotted at Shelton's matches since the spring.
Both Shelton and Rodman come from athletic families. Shelton's dad is Bryan Shelton, a former professional tennis player and college tennis coach. Rodman is the daughter of five-time NBA champion basketball player Dennis Rodman.
Rodman has been playing soccer since the age of 4 and made history in 2021, when at 18, she was drafted by the Spirit, becoming the youngest player to be drafted in the history of the National Women's Soccer League.
She is known for her signature "Trin Spin" move and also represented the U.S. and made her World Cup debut as a women's national team member at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Soccer star speaks out 2 months after collapsing on field mid-gameIn May 2022, Rodman added "author" to her long list of achievements with the publication of a children's book titled "Wake Up and Kick It."
Aside from soccer, Rodman also told Vogue in 2024 that she loves to embrace her creative side with drawing, painting, writing, and connecting with fans on TikTok.
She has also said she loves to spend time with her family.
