Trinity Rodman’s Status Uncertain Ahead of NWSL Quarterfinal

LEESBURG, Va. — The status of Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman remains uncertain as she recovers from a sprained MCL suffered last month. Rodman did not participate in the initial 30 minutes of the Spirit’s training session on Friday, which was open to the media. Instead, she spent that time in the team’s adjacent gym facility before rejoining her teammates on the field towards the conclusion of practice.

Head coach Adrián González was noncommittal regarding Rodman’s status less than 24 hours prior to the quarterfinal matchup against the seventh-seeded Racing Louisville FC. He noted that both Rodman and other players have been evaluated on a “day by day” basis, and he would confer with the medical staff later Friday for a formal assessment.

“The only thing with Trin is she’s been doing great,” González expressed. “I’m optimistic as I believe she’s meeting the recovery benchmarks and is in a good place, both mentally and physically. She’s been incredibly dedicated to her recovery and is doing everything possible to be in optimal condition.”

Rodman was unavailable for comment following practice. The Spirit enters the playoffs as the No. 2 seed for the second consecutive year. A victory against the playoff newcomers, Louisville, will set the stage for a semifinal match next week at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., against either the Portland Thorns or the San Diego Wave.

Midfielder Hal Hershfelt shared the team’s mindset, stating, “We’re approaching this with humility. We want to compete fiercely and are hungry for success. We are not taking our top seed for granted; we are ready to face any challenge in the playoffs.”

González emphasized the importance of maintaining a compact defensive structure and winning second balls to avoid falling into the transition game favored by Louisville. The Spirit may need to proceed without Rodman, who has made significant contributions this season with five goals and two assists in just nine appearances.

Rodman suffered her right MCL sprain on October 15 during a convincing 4-0 win over Monterrey in the Concacaf W Champions Cup, a result that secured the Spirit’s place in next year’s continental semifinals. The injury saw her leave the field in distress, unable to apply weight on her leg, later appearing on crutches and in a full knee brace. González had commented that the MCL sprain was “the best scenario” they could have hoped for, given initial concerns about the severity of the injury.

Just hours before her injury, Rodman was named to her first United States women’s national team roster in six months. USWNT head coach Emma Hayes expressed her excitement about Rodman’s return, referring to her as “one of the best players in the world.”

However, Rodman’s return to the national team had to be postponed. She has only played once for the United States since contributing to their Olympic gold medal success in the summer of 2024. A recurring back injury has limited her participation with the USWNT over the past year, and it also impacted her performance in last year’s playoffs. After the Spirit’s loss to the Orlando Pride in the 2024 NWSL Championship, Rodman remarked, “It’s not an excuse, but I wasn’t the Trin that I wanted to be today.”

In March, she had expressed concern that her back might never fully recover; however, her decision to train in London for rehabilitation led to a more complete recovery and a positive outlook. After returning to the field on August 3, following nearly four months of absence, Rodman scored a dramatic game-winning goal off the bench, emotionally reflecting on the experience during a post-match interview with ESPN.

Rodman is regarded as one of the NWSL’s rising stars and is set to be out of contract at the end of the 2025 season. Earlier this year, she revealed to ESPN her aspirations to play overseas, indicating that it was merely a question of timing.

During the regular-season finale, the Spirit faced a challenge with only three healthy field players available off the bench in a narrow 1-0 loss to Utah. On Friday, 18 field players participated in the open segment of training at the Inova Performance Complex. Along with Rodman, Croix Bethune (thigh), Leicy Santos (illness), and Deborah Abiodun (ankle) were unavailable last week, although all participated in some capacity on Friday.

“We have a strong bench now, and everyone is excited to play at home in front of our fans at Audi Field,” said Spirit defender Tara McKeown following Friday’s practice.