Emma Hayes Shares Honest Update on Trinity Rodman’s Injury Ahead of USWNT’s World Cup Prep

Trinity Rodman has recently become a growing concern among soccer fans. The Washington Spirit forward’s recurring back issues have caused her to be in and out of action over the past few years. Despite “grinding almost every day in PT to get back on the field” and making it clear she’s “not just being a WAG and vacationing 🙂 thank you,” she has yet to make a proper return. Amid the uncertainty, Emma Hayes has now shared her thoughts on Rodman’s injury situation.

The English tactician will be hosting the American ladies for another World Cup prep-centric national camp, where they’ll be facing the Republic of Ireland for a doubleheader clash on June 26 in greater Denver, Colorado, and June 29 in Cincinnati, Ohio. This automatically raises concern about whether Hayes will be calling up Trinity for the challenge.

A simple answer to this question is, unfortunately, a big no. However, Hayes does expect the talented winger to make her way for the Spirit “in July at some point.” But that won’t be much of use as the league will take a brief amount of break throughout July and will begin straight in August. Though it gives Rodman an adequate amount of time, Emma is still not acquiesced to calling her up.

“But of course, she [Trinity] has to feel that her back’s in a place that she can move beyond the pain that she’s carried for a period of time,” Hayes said during an exclusive chat on ESPN’s weekly women’s soccer studio show Futbol W with journalist Jeff Kassouf. “She’s in great spirits, and I know we’re moving in the right direction with Trin. Both club and country have been working hard to get her to this stage.”

Notably, Trinity Rodman has been facing back issues since her NWSL debut. Since then, she has been managing herself at best, giving remarkable performances. However, it was a month after the Paris Olympics that the forward ended up suffering a relapse of her injury, leaving the pitch in a wheelchair during the regular campaign game.

Though Rodman returned a couple of weeks later, the 22-year-old admitted after the Spirit’s 2024 NWSL Championship final loss that she played the whole game in pain and might never play at 100%. That explains why the beginning of this season has seen Trinity make only small appearances for her team.

Even for the USWNT, the Newport Beach native made a return to the starting XI straight after having last played in the Summer Games where she netted three goals as well during April’s fixture against Brazil. Interestingly, it didn’t take much time for Rodman to make her impact, finding the back of the net within five minutes.

However, the last time Rodman took the field was on April 12, when she came off the bench during the Spirit’s Matchday 4 matchup against Racing Louisville. After that, she was forced to leave for London to take a necessary break from all kinds of soccer duties. It was just earlier this week that Trinity was seen back at the Washington Spirit’s training facilities, leaving fans excited.

Therefore, from the looks of it, the NWSL superstar still has some time to make her return. That surely leaves her ardent fans concerned, who must be desperate to see her play again. A little bit of distress also goes to Emma Hayes and Co., who are already in the phase of World Cup preparations. And doing so in the absence of their star player delays the process for both the player and the team. Then again, one can hope that Trinity makes a quick return. In the meantime, Hayes has someone else to welcome back to the team!

While Trinity Rodman delays, Emma Hayes simps for Rose Lavelle

While Trinity Rodman is yet to deliver a good news on her return, midfielder Rose Lavelle brought smiles to a lot of faces after gracing the soccer pitch again after 186 days of absence due to an ankle injury sustained during the USWNT’s match against the Netherlands on December 4 last year. It came on June 7 for NJ/NY Gotham, coming off the bench in the 74th minute during her team’s narrow 1-2 defeat to KC Current.

Aside from making an instant impact by almost finding her name on the scoresheet, Lavelle even shared a positive update on her fitness, saying, “I feel good, I feel really strong. I think it’s more just, it will be a little bit for my ankle to be at 100%, but the rest of me is feeling good.” 

This only felt like a melody to Hayes’ ears, who quickly expressed her desire to see her favorite midfielder back in the mix. “I very much hope that she will be with us in camp. She’s had, as she calls it, a very lengthy layoff. I don’t think Rose makes a really good injured player; she’s bored senseless,” said the 48-year-old.

The former WSL boss emphasized that Lavelle is keen to win her place back in the starting XI of both Gotham and the USWNT. “We miss her experience and [we’re] very much looking forward to her coming back,” concluded Hayes after congratulating Lavelle on breaking her six-month exile. Well, it is quite obvious for Hayes to miss Lavelle, as she was a crucial chess piece in the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

But deep down we know that similar must be the feeling within Emma for Trinity Rodman, isn’t it right?