Trinity Rodman in Tears After Scoring Game-Winning Goal in First Game Back from Injury

NEED TO KNOW

• Trinity Rodman made a triumphant return to the soccer field with the Washington Spirit on Sunday, Aug. 3 after a four-month absence to rehab her back
• The USWNT star scored the game-winning goal for a 2-1 victory over Portland
• Rodman was visibly emotional and celebrated with the team on the field after the game

Trinity Rodman is back!

The USWNT star, 23, made a triumphant return to the soccer field on Sunday, Aug. 3, scoring the winning goal for the Washington Spirit in her first game since recovering from a back injury.

Rodman, who hadn't played a match in 114 days, entered the game as sub in the 76th minute to cheers from the Spirit home crowd at Audi Field. The score was tied 1-1 before she made the goal to secure the win over the Portland Thorns.

The moment was emotional for Rodman, who returned to the field after a four-month absence to rehab her back. The recurring injury has limited her appearances and caps for the past year.

After scoring the goal, the Olympic gold medalist — visibly in tears — was rushed by her teammates to celebrate on the field.

"Holy cow, that was just the hardest thing I've had to go through with injury and everything," Rodman said after the game. "So, being back with the team, especially at home, with the stadium and the crowd behind me, scoring a goal like that — you saw I buried it. I was not going to miss it."

It had to be her, it had to be @trinity_rodman ‼️

🎥 @NWSLpic.twitter.com/PbXqmR40l3

— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 3, 2025

She added, "I'm just really happy to be back. I missed the team. I missed doing what I love."

The soccer star explained how she rehabbed her body for her return to the game, opening up about the work she put in to build back her strength and endurance.

"I was doing a lot of work behind the scenes by myself," she said. "I was getting fit, obviously, not in a team environment, which was kind of difficult to replicate as best I could by myself. But yeah, I was working a lot on my endurance."

"I was working a lot on getting my back to work the way that it should, and kind of tweaking certain things in the way that I moved," she continued. "So, yeah, feels great to be back. Trainings have been amazing since I've been back, and I'm just going to keep building."

Rodman's only game for the U.S. women's national team since the 2024 Olympics was on April 5. She scored just over five minutes into that 2-0 victory.

The athlete was sidelined while playing for the Spirit one week later.

The match on Aug. 3 marked Washington's first NWSL game since June.

While rehabbing her back, Rodman has been taking time to relax this summer and spend time with her boyfriend, tennis star Ben Shelton.

The soccer player shared an Instagram carousel of photos on July 14, documenting both work and play.

"Not the summer that I had in mind but still loved every moment ❤️ can’t wait to be back on the field," she wrote.

Read the original article on People