Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman made an emotional return to the field for the first time in nearly four months Sunday, scoring late in a 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns FC.
Rodman entered the match, Washington's first NWSL game since June due to the summer break, in the 76th minute to a rousing ovation from the home crowd at Audi Field.
The game was tied 1-1 when she came on, but Rodman proved to be the difference-maker in the match, pouncing on a loose ball at the far post and smashing a volley past Thorns keeper Mackenzie Arnold in second-half stoppage time.
A 2024 Olympic gold medalist, Rodman was visibly emotional after scoring the winner. She has struggled with a recurring back injury over the past year that has limited her appearances for club and country.
"Holy cow, that was just the hardest thing I've had to go through with injury and everything," Rodman said while holding back tears 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. I'm just really happy to be back. I missed the team. I missed doing what I love."
Rodman's only game for the U.S. women's national team since the Olympics last summer came April 5. She scored just over five minutes into that 2-0 victory and faked a back injury as part of her celebration.
But one week later, she was sidelined again while playing for the Spirit. She left that NWSL game April 12 and soon departed Washington for evaluation and treatment in London. Rodman rehabbed individually before returning to the Spirit for training in mid-July during the NWSL's summer break.
"I've just been crying. I just think it was a big moment," Rodman added about her return. "There was a lot of tears of going through the injury, and then just a lot of unknowns. So, being back, knowing that I'm back for real and that the problem's fixed and now I can just be back and work on the things I need to and kind of just get my groove back."
Last week, Rodman told reporters that she is "still going to be Trin," but added she would be more mindful of how she throws around her body in the future.
"I'm still going to be intense, and I'm still going to give it 100 percent all the time, but I think there's parts of my game where I need to save energy or adjust to certain tackles, and I think I've been doing a pretty good job with that so far coming back in training," she said.
Rodman had previously said that her back might never be fully healthy again.
Washington coach Adrián González said ahead of the game that the team would be "careful" with how it manages Rodman's return. Rodman played through pain in late 2024 as the Spirit finished second in the league and runners-up in the playoffs.
Rodman has developed into one of the NWSL's and USWNT's biggest stars. She is in the final months of her contract, and she told ESPN earlier this year that a move to Europe is a matter of when, not if.