United States coach Emma Hayes said Trinity Rodman is ready to shoulder more responsibility and take the «next steps» in her career as she returns to the national team for the first time since April 2025.
Rodman is a part of Hayes’ NWSL-centric roster for the camp in Southern California, which will feature games against Paraguay on Jan. 24 and Chile on Jan. 27.
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Due to a recurring back injury, the 23-year-old has played for the U.S. women’s national team only once since her starring role in the 2024 Olympic gold medal triumph, scoring six minutes into a 2-0 win over Brazil in April.
«I said it to her this week, I said we’ve missed you in many ways, most of all because she just brings a little bit of color, she’s got a great personality and she injects that into the environment,» Hayes told ESPN’s «Futbol W.»
«I’ve given her some responsibility this week and I think it’s good for her. And she wants that, she’s ready to take the next steps in her career. I think having her back is I hope the start of a really strong year for her.»
Rodman is listed on the USWNT roster as «unattached» — the only such player with that distinction, and a rarity for the USWNT through the years — because her previous contract with the Washington Spirit expired at the end of last year, making her a free agent.
Her future — and how it will shape the NWSL‘s future — has been the league’s most prominent talking point since the NWSL Championship in late November.
Rodman was limited to a role off the bench as Washington suffered a second successive NWSL Championship loss, with the forward still recovering from an MCL sprain suffered with the Spirit in October.
She is now fit enough to return to the USWNT, though Hayes said it will take time and effort for Rodman to get back to her best for the long term.
«There’s a lot of people involved in ensuring that Trin not only has got back to the level she wants to but stays at that level,» Hayes said. «She’s done the work to seek the right info, understand her body and then to train the right things.
«We’ve spoken about It doesn’t come quickly, sometimes it takes time and consistency with that time to build the necessary strength so that her back can cope with the demands of the game.
«I think the thing for her this year is she’s got to take responsibility, not just on the field but off the field to make sure she gets the regular maintenance. It’s all about the other 22 hours and what you do with that. If she can nail that then I expect her to continue to thrive.»
ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf contributed to this story.
