Trinity Rodman Returns to Training with the Washington Spirit
American forward Trinity Rodman has returned to training with the Washington Spirit this Saturday, marking her return after a three-month absence. Rodman, who scored three goals in last year’s Olympics to help the USWNT win the gold medal, played her last competitive match on April 12 with the Spirit. Since then, a back injury has kept her off the field, limiting her to a single match with the USWNT in the last 11 months. His absence extended indefinitely from mid-April, without participating in team activities for months. In recent weeks, he had been training individually. According to reports, Rodman participated in approximately half of Saturday’s training session and stepped aside to work individually when the Spirit moved to an 11-on-11 game. The training session was open to the public.The NWSL is in a month-long break due to international competitions. The Spirit has friendly matches scheduled for the end of this month before returning to the regular season on August 3rd. Rodman left an NWSL match in a wheelchair last September after injuring her back in a match in Kansas City. She managed the injury until the end of the NWSL season, helping the Spirit finish second in the regular season and runner-up in the NWSL Championship. She continued to struggle with the injury this year. Rodman was excluded from USWNT call-ups for most of last year to allow her to rest. She was called up for a couple of matches against Brazil in early April and scored within 10 minutes of her return to the USWNT. It was her only international appearance since the Olympics to date. A week later, she left the Spirit’s NWSL match at halftime. Shortly after, she went to London to have doctors evaluate her back. Rodman has commented that he doesn’t believe his back will be 100% again.She is in a very good mood, and I know we are moving in the right direction with Trin. Both the club and the country have been working hard to bring her to this stage.
USWNT Coach, Emma Hayes
Rodman, 23, is one of the most important stars of the NWSL and the USWNT. She is an imminent free agent and became eligible to negotiate with other teams on July 1. She said it’s “just a matter of when” she decides to play in Europe. The Spirit’s owner, Michele Kang, has said several times that the team “will do everything possible” to re-sign Rodman.It’s a matter of it’s not something specific, it’s the way my back is structured. And it’s more management than a curable solution.
Trinity Rodman
