The last 365 days have seen a major turnaround for star Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman.
A year ago, in late July 2025, Rodman was over three months into an extended absence where she navigated a lingering back injury. But as July 2026 winds down, the 24-year-old has put up one of the best months in her six NWSL seasons and is on track for a career year.
The Trinity Rodman renaissance — the Trinaissance, if you will — is on.
In five July games, Rodman has scored four goals and added two assists, tapping into her full toolkit to make a difference for a surging Spirit squad who have won ten of their last twelve games.
On Sunday evening in Washington, Rodman registered an assist on a transition play in the 61st minute finding striker Sofia Cantore, who was able to create some space and score the only goal in the Spirit’s win against Denver Summit FC.
“I saw her in between the center backs and I finally saw the early ball. So I just wanted to hit it first time,” Rodman said after the game. “And I was a little tired, so I wasn’t ready to dribble in that moment. But I think whenever you see the [striker] in the middle of the center backs, really high, just hit it into the space. And usually, they’ll make something happen out of it, especially [Cantore.]”
In an interview with The IX Sports after a training session a few days before Sunday’s game, Rodman allowed herself permission to give herself credit for her recent run of form.
“I think I’m just playing happy. I’m not overthinking, and I think that’s honestly why I’ve been — I’m gonna hype myself up — lethal in front of goal,” Rodman said with a laugh.
“Genuinely, I feel a shift,” she continued. “When I’m in front of goal, I feel like before, it was kind of like a nervousness when I got a 1 v. 1 with a keeper. But now I honestly feel very comfortable and I’m not thinking. I’m just like ‘this is going to go in the back of the net.’”
For all of her confidence on the field, including her carefully-planned celebrations, a comment like that is a bit of a surprise from Rodman. In prior comments to reporters, she has often shared a degree of doubt about reaching her full potential.
After the Spirit lost the 2024 NWSL Championship to the Orlando Pride, Rodman expressed disappointment that she “wasn’t the Trin [she] wanted to be” that day. And in March of 2025, shortly before taking her leave from the Spirit for her injury, she suggested that she may never be in the same condition that she was during her 2021 rookie season.
While it has taken a lot of management and adjustment, Rodman appears, at least so far in 2026, to have found her way back to the sky-high trajectory that her early-career highlights had teased.
Through 16 games, Rodman has seven goals, one off her career high of eight in 2024. Her five assists are also just one off her career high of six, also set in that same 2024 season. And a closer look at advanced and expected stats indicates that this is more than just the Olympic gold medalist taking advantage of good luck.
With American Soccer Analysis estimating that Rodman is putting up a career high 0.47 expected goals per 96 minutes, or roughly a goal every two games, her seven goals in 16 games is roughly in line with the output that would be expected from her based on available shot data.
And the types of plays Rodman is making show off some of the improvements and adjustments she has implemented.
On her goal on the road in North Carolina against the Courage on July 11, Rodman scored a goal even as Courage defender Ryan Williams tugged at her jersey in a shoulder-to-shoulder clash.
After that game, Rodman’s reaction to a question about it suggested that she had not even felt the kind of physical defense that may have interfered with a similar finish earlier in her career.
“I didn’t even notice it,” Rodman said.
She added that some of that improvement came directly from managing her back injury.
“Even just coming off of my back injury, core and stability and balance have been a huge thing that I’ve been trying to work on, because it was really weak before, just dealing with so much pain and weakness in that area,” Rodman said.
And this Sunday’s game in Washington also highlighted another aspect of Rodman’s expansion into a multi-dimensional player: her defense.
Against Denver, Washington’s star winger had chipped in on the defensive end with two tackles, three interceptions and seven recoveries.
When asked about Rodman’s play, Spirit head coach Adrián González singled out her contributions on the defensive end.
“Everyone sees just the attacking piece, but for me, what she does defending is amazing.”
González noted that a player of her offensive caliber would have every reason to focus on attacking or limit their defensive role, but that Rodman’s attitude is to contribute.
“If she needs to drop, she’s going to drop. She’s going to defend the box. She’s going to bump. She’s going to tackle. And a player like her doing that, I think it’s a huge role model for everyone, especially young players. And she’s contagious. She spreads that energy to the team,” González said.
He also praised her for maturing as a player and noted that her defense is just one example of the many ways she is giving the Spirit more options.
“Defensively the job that she’s doing, it’s on her. It’s about attitude, mentality, helping the team, so all the credit to her.”
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