Trinity Rodman Returns From Injury And Scores Winner For Spirit

After nearly four months out with a back injury, Trinity Rodman made her long-awaited to return to action on August 3rd, scoring the winning goal in the Washington Spirit’s 2-1 victory over the Portland Thorns.

In the 72nd minute of the Spirit’s first game after the international break, Rodman replaced winger Rosemonde Kouassi. The substitution was met with huge fanfare and created an emotional tidal wave at Audi Field that carried the Spirit to victory.

The Spirit had taken the lead early in the match through a Gift Monday goal and dominated much of the first half thanks to threatening runs in behind from Kouassi and creative play from Narumi Miura and Croix Bethune.

A lapse in concentration in first half stoppage time allowed Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie to gather the ball outside the box and fire a shot low into the bottom corner, tying the game 1-1. Adrian Gonzalez’s first game as permanent head coach of the Spirit looked set to end in a draw until he ushered Rodman onto the field.

Rodman’s Return

With the game tied heading into stoppage time, the stage was set for Rodamn to make her mark. Midfielder Courtney Brown received the ball on the left wing and swung in a bending cross, which playmaker Croix Bethune deftly flicked on towards the back post. Rodman was there waiting and smashed the ball into the back of the net.

The goal cued stadium-wide celebrations that even saw Spirit keeper Aubrey Kingsbury sprint the length of the field to celebrate with her teammates. Reflecting on the winning moment after the game, Rodman said, “A lot of emotions for me. I have such an amazing team and the way that they came around me during that moment was amazing.”

Kingsbury felt similarly, telling media post-match, “Obviously, it’s great to have her back. It was an incredible finish and I think all of Audi [Field] was just so excited to see that.” The Spirit captain added, “I’m super happy for her on a personal level, but also as a team, we needed that win. So credit to her. It was an incredible finish. She left no doubts.”

The Olympic gold medalist is out of contract at the end of the season, leaving her future up in the air. But on the day she and 16,007 fans at Audi Field reveled in her emotional return.

The significance of the moment was not lost on Rodman, or anyone else for that matter. The road to recovery has been a long one, blighted by set backs and criticism. “I’ve been crying,” the USWNT star said in the post-match press conference.

On her goal, Rodman told the media “I think I’d kind of been floating on the back post anytime we were getting into the final third. We had been working ont he kind of floated back post cross in training all week. We didn’t have the runners today for the most part and we talked about that at halftime. So I guess I was just waiting to see, but as soon as it was going towards Croix [Bethune] I knew she was going to have some type of cheeky touch and I was not going to miss it. I was going to hit it through the net. So yeah, I was definitely ready for it.”

Head Coach Adrian Gonzalez, known for his closeness with his players, said post-game “It was great, to be honest, to see her playing again, especially at home, with the connections we have with our fans, I think it was fantastic. She had an amazing goal, so I’m so happy for her.”

Rodman is adamant that she will be slowly working her way back to full-match fitness. The goal is to make it through the rest of the season without a relapse and to hit the playoffs in peak condition.

“We’re doing a lot better at managing it this time,” the star said after the game. “I want to play. The team wants me to play. Fans want to see me play, but I think, again, I am learning from my mistakes, the team and staff, are learning from the mistakes we made, so, we’re going to ease into it just so I can be healthy for the playoffs because that’s important.”

Rodman also noted that her mental health has become a larger priority since her injury. She insisted that being treated as a normal person, have a balanced work and personal life and finding ways to remove pressure off the field have been key to her recovery.

A Record-Breaking Victory

While Rodman rightfully stole the headlines, the three points were hugely important for the home side. In the first half of the season, the Spirit struggled for consistency, going several games without a goal at Audi Field.

Just before the international break the club announced that head coach Jonatan Giraldez would be leaving for OL Lyonnes, and that assistant and former interim coach Adrian Gonzalez would be taking over as head coach on a permanent basis.

The game against Portland was the beginning of a new era for the capital city side, and three points are key for the Spirit’s push for a playoff spot. The victory puts the team third in the table on 26 points, neck and neck with rival Orlando Pride, but still ten points behind leaders Kansas City Current.

“I think it’s been a fantastic first half, to be honest,” Gonzalez said in the post-match press conference. “I think we had great chances to score more than one goal, to be honest. I think we deserved a little bit more.”

The head coach added “We are not in out best spot possible, but making the game long as we did and just insisting, we knew that we would have chances until the end.”

The game was also a record-breaking affair for captain Aubrey Kingsbury. The local hero surpassed Tori Huster as the player with the most regular season in club history. Kingsbury was disappointed she did not record a shutout, but could barely believe she broke Huster’s record, calling her “the one and only OG.”

The Spirit will take on Gotham FC next on Saturday August 9th, before returning to Audi Field to face Racing Louisville. The club’s Concacaf W Champions Cup journey begins on August 19th against Alianza from El Salvador.