Trinity Rodman says she is happy with the "new and improved" version of herself after putting the injury problems that bedevilled her for much of last season behind her and producing arguably the best NWSL season of her career.
The Washington Spirit forward played another influential role on Sunday, creating the decisive moment in a 1-0 victory over Bay FC at Audi Field that ended Washington's four-game winless run and moved the Spirit back into second place in the NWSL standings.
Rodman's shot in first-half stoppage time crashed off the underside of the crossbar and bounced down near the goal line before Paige Metayer followed up to make certain, bundling the ball into the net for what was to be the game's only goal.
While the score was officially credited to Metayer, Rodman, naturally, says she would have loved to have it, but was pleased for her teammate.
"I'm happy that she was there to just make sure it was in the back of the net," Rodman told reporters after the game. "But yes, of course I want the goal. Any forward in that moment's going to fight for that to be their goal. But we'll see."
Whether or not the goal is eventually credited to Rodman, the sequence provided another snapshot of just how dramatically her circumstances have changed in the space of a year. The 24-year-old missed nearly four months of last season because of a persistent back problem, stepping away from Spirit activities in April after years of dealing with recurring spasms and related issues.
The problems were serious enough that Rodman told ESPN in March of 2025 that she did not believe her back would ever be completely healthy. After returning to training in July, she acknowledged that she would need to change how she played, particularly the willingness to throw herself into tackles and physical challenges.
She finally returned against the Portland Thorns on Aug. 3 of that year after almost four months out and promptly scored a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 Spirit victory. The difference a year later is availability as much as production, according to the forward.
Rodman has started all 21 of Washington's league matches this season, playing 1,772 minutes. Her 10 goals so far are already a single-season career high, surpassing the eight she scored in 2024, and she has added five assists, to boot.
In a call-back to last season, when she said she was unsure of returning to the same player she was, Rodman says she has enjoyed the evolution but remained essentially the same.
"I feel the journey's been fun," she said. "But it's the same identity. Just tweaked a couple of things."
Those tweaks involved making some adjustments to the way she plays now that helps keep her on the field.
"I'm still trying as hard as I can not to throw my body around the way I used to. But I'm really happy with not only the success I've had and the goals I've scored, just my availability.
"I've played almost every single minute this season. So just to be able to flip that from barely playing last season to then coming in this season and being able to be on the field all the time, I think I'm just really happy. And I'm just keeping my body right so I can stay on the field.
"But yeah, I am very happy with the new and improved version of myself. I'm the same Trin, just improved little parts of my game."
That availability has been accompanied by some of the best numbers of Rodman's six-year professional career. Her 10 goals and five assists give her 15 goal contributions in 21 league appearances, already exceeding her previous career best of 14 in 2024. She entered Sunday's game tied with Ashley Hatch for the most regular-season goal contributions in Spirit history with 61, and finished it with her nose in front.
Sunday's contribution came at an important time for Washington. The Spirit entered August near the top of the NWSL but had gone winless in four consecutive games, losing to San Diego Wave, North Carolina Courage and Orlando Pride, with a 1-1 draw against Angel City sandwiched between the latter two defeats. Although Rodman scored Washington's goal against Angel City, her 10th of the season, the Spirit had not won since July 26.
As much as that may be a down for the team, the Spirit's star forward would rather see the silver lining, arguing that although the team were relieved to snap the losing streak, going through that difficult stretch could ultimately prove beneficial for a team with championship ambitions.
"Yeah, it feels good," Rodman said about returning to winning ways. "I don't like saying 'losing streak' just because I think it's part of the game. You're going to lose games throughout the season. I think for it to be picture perfect going to the playoffs, it's kind of scary.
"So I'm honestly glad that we went through that. Now we have had the ups and downs, we know how to handle it. We know how to flip the script.
"But yeah, we're very relieved. And coach gave us an extra off day, so we're also really happy about that."
It was not easy, though, as Washington were made to work for their meal on Sunday. Bay FC produced 19 shots to Washington's 16 and forced goalkeeper Sandy MacIver into four saves, but the Spirit found their breakthrough four minutes into first-half stoppage time. Sofia Cantore released Rodman down the left, and the forward drove into the penalty area before firing her shot off the crossbar. The ball came down around the line before Metayer arrived to make sure it crossed.
Rodman said the move also showed improvement in an attacking unit that has struggled to consistently connect during Washington's recent run.
"We worked off of each other a lot better today," she said. "We held possession a little bit higher than we have.
"Even just the distances between the attacking group was a lot better. Even just on that goal, me and Sof working off each other.
"I think that's something we've been lacking, is finding that ball into the nine. It's always kind of just been me and Kate playing on the line. So to be able to open that up was really good, and I think that made a big difference with even just opening up spaces."
Rodman's influence extended beyond the attacking end. In the 87th minute she made a tackle near the Spirit's penalty area and carried the ball forward, eventually drawing a foul and yellow card against Bay FC's Maddie Moreau. In stoppage time, she repeatedly took possession toward the corner to help Washington run down the clock and secure their first victory in more than a month.
