Trinity Rodman set off alarm bells last week when she made a confession about the status of her injured back. It was never going to be 100 percent again. This injury was something that would impact her for the rest of her career.
That development made Rodman's resounding return to the USWNT even more impressive. In her first appearance since the 2024 Olympic gold medal game, Rodman looked every bit the player the U.S. women's national team had last year while, more importantly, showing signs that there's still more potential yet to be unlocked.
Rodman stole the show in the 2-0 win, and she did it early. Just five minutes into Saturday's clash with Brazil at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Rodman was slipped in by Alyssa Thompson and she made no mistake. With one little flick of the ball, Rodman scored and, as always, she understood the moment - feigning a back injury before then flicking her hair to the sky to show how little she's personally worried about it all.
"Medical staff was freaking out, but I thought I had to do it," Rodman said with a big smile.
Of course, not everyone was amused.
"I didn't think she was pretending, so I will have a word with her because that's like a cry wolf moment," USWNT coach Emma Hayes said with a grin after the game. "I turned to the physios and I said, 'Her back's hurting,' instantly, and then I realized she was tricking us."
The returning winger had a strong game, for sure, and the pre-game storyline made her the postgame storyline, too.
"I wanted to be a portable charger on the field," Rodman told TNT after the game. "I wanted to be a provider of energy and charge everybody’s batteries. So I think I did that pretty well today, and obviously to have a goal come with it with an amazing little slip ball from Alyssa was great... I was just trying to stay composed. I was very high energy going into this game and I just needed to stay calm."
But the story of this game wasn't just about Rodman, as multiple USWNT stars stepped up against a tough Brazil team. Alyssa Thompson, more than anyone, showed that she's ready for more, earning the assist on Rodman's goal before running circles around Brazil the rest of the night.
Phallon Tullis-Joyce, making her first start for the USWNT in goal, had a memorable performance, inserting herself into a crowded race to be No. 1 in the net. Lily Yohannes won a penalty, Lindsey Heaps confidently converted it, Sam Coffey dealt with a physical midfield - this was a win by committee.
And as was the case in Paris, they prevented Brazil from scoring.
"The shutouts are never overrated," Hayes told her team on the field after the match. "Shutouts are what define us. I know when we play in these games we always want to be sure we’re tough to beat from corners, from set pieces. It was game of 89 re-starts and we dominated in that."
Still, all eyes were on Rodman, and rightfully so. She responded as she tends to do: with ferocity.
“The weak side on the back shoulder is open,” Rodman said of her first goal since the Paris Games. “We’ve gotten it a lot in the pocket and on the turn. So I think no matter what side it is - obviously it’s kind of on my side more of the time - I’m just looking to be on the back shoulder to get those little slip balls or the balls over the top. Just trying to stay calm and a little “beep” and we’re good.”
There's still another game to be played, as these two sides will meet again Tuesday in San Jose. But in many ways, just by seeing Rodman return with this sort of impact, Hayes - whose team lost for the first time in her coaching tenure in the SheBelieves Cup final against Japan in February - will call this a success.
GOAL rates USWNT players from SoFi Stadium.