Trinity Rodman, who bears her famous father Dennis' last name, has proven to be an outstanding athlete who shares the family's DNA of a fierce competitive spirit, but this time, as a rising star on the US Women's National Soccer Team. With a promising future ahead of her, Rodman is poised to make a significant impact as an elite American athlete.
Crowned the NWSL's Rookie of the Year in 2021, Rodman has impressively threaded signature aspects of her father's game into her unique style. Despite her unique lineage, Rodman's inclusion in the forthcoming World Cup roster in Australia and New Zealand was solely based on her excellence.
At age 21, her extraordinary quickness, precision in finishing, and remarkable instinctual ability to anticipate plays make her stand out as a true powerhouse on the pitch as a goal-hunting forward.
Last season, Rodman signed a four-year, $1.1 million (£858,000) contract with the Washington Spirit, making her the highest-paid player in league history. Her average annual salary of $281,000 (£220,683) surpasses the $250,000 (£194) national team heroes and teammates Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe are paid, planting the evolutionary speeds to improve the distant gender wage gap between US soccer leagues.
Last August, Rodman's sensational play earned her a nomination as a finalist for the 2022 Ballon d'Or Feminin award and during yesterday's match between the United States and Wales, she was the standout player in the team's most recent international friendly.
Though she started on the bench, her impressive performance helped secure a victory for the USWNT by scoring her first career double. This feat also made her the youngest player (21 years and 50 days) to achieve two goals in an international game since Mallory Swanson accomplished it in April 2019.
Following the game, the players participated in an official send-off ceremony attended by 18,000 enthusiastic fans. The team will be relocating to Auckland in New Zealand with their World Cup commencing on July 22 against Vietnam at Eden Park.
Despite admitting to not having the her rebellious father in her life consistently, Rodman expressed her admiration for how NBA legends carved a niche for themselves as an undersized big man. Studying the film on what made Dennis a great defender and rebounder prepared Trinity always to be alert and tentative to the ball.
"It's hunting in front of the goal. It's hunting when you lose the ball. And I think that's a huge part of my game — regains, tracking back and being the first person to get a foot, a head, a knee, a shin on something that pops up," Rodman said to the LA Times.
"Even if he wasn't the first guy under the basket or next to Shaq [O'Neal], who was way bigger, way taller, he was going to get the rebound. It was timing. It was anticipation. It was body movement. It was positioning. It was everything. And I think he was so intelligent, and I think people take that away. He was a freak of nature. He was an insane athlete, but at the end of the day, he, I think, was one of the smartest players at the time. He knew the game."
Despite being the daughter of an NBA Champion and Hall of Fame level player, Rodman has become the star in her sport, and she did it her way. Her USWNT budding legacy serves as a part of a new generation of players and athletes who hope to follow a legacy of excellence for years to come.
