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NWSL: Washington Spirit at Houston Dash Apr 12, 2024 Houston, Texas, USA Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune 7 celebrates her goal against the Houston Dash with forward Trinity Rodman 2 during the second half at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston Shell Energy Stadium Texas USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMariaxLysakerx 20240412_mts_la6_0345E

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NWSL: Washington Spirit at Houston Dash Apr 12, 2024 Houston, Texas, USA Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune 7 celebrates her goal against the Houston Dash with forward Trinity Rodman 2 during the second half at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston Shell Energy Stadium Texas USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMariaxLysakerx 20240412_mts_la6_0345E
The return of the NWSL action after a lengthy break might have been the highlight of the week, but it’s Trinity Rodman who stole the spotlight. Having last witnessed action on April 12, the USWNT forward finally made a successful comeback from her injury, even scoring a crucial goal for the Washington Spirit to help them secure a close 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns. While Rodman rightfully earned her moment in the sun, icon Megan Rapinoe had someone else in mind to share the praise.
It wasn’t just off-the-bench heroics that made the 22-year-old finesse the attention, but the fact that after scoring, she broke down in tears. Even the post-game saw her facing difficulties just to hold back her emotions. “Yeah, I just think… damn. Holy cow…That was just the hardest thing I had to go through, with injury and everything,” said Trinity, insisting how much she missed the joy of scoring goals for her team.
While it was something Megan Rapinoe was excited to witness, the former Seattle Reign star also believes Trinity Rodman’s teammate, Croix Bethune, deserves her share of the spotlight. The 2019 Ballon d’Or winner emphasized how valuable it is for the Washington Spirit to have both players back. “They looked good,” Rapinoe said on the latest episode of her co-hosted A Touch More podcast alongside fiancée Sue Bird.
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Praising Rodman’s emotional and poetic return, the ex-OL Lyonnes star added, “You can tell how hard it’s been to be out that long to be dealing with that kind of injury, that kind of pain, probably not knowing how you’re going to come back, come in, score an absolute banger of a goal to win the game. Amazing.”
Then again, Pinoe wasted no time in singing Bethune’s praises—even if it’s Trin who’s been the subject of all the minstrel songs lately. “But Croy was looking good. Just gets into good pockets, crafty,” said Megan, insisting that it’s no wonder the 24-year-old earned the midfielder of the year award last season. “She’s pretty much been kind of like in-and-out injured since then. So, I was excited to watch her play. She looks good.”

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NWSL: Portland Thorns FC at Washington Spirit Aug 3, 2025 Washington, District of Columbia, USA Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman 2 celebrates with Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune 7 after scoring a goal against Portland Thorns FC during the second half at Audi Field. Washington Audi Field District of Columbia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAmberxSearlsx 20250803_ads_si2_050
Yet, on a much bigger picture, Megan Rapinoe believes that both players are essential in the dynamics of the Washington Spirit, hoping that both players stay healthy. In fact, doing so would only help Adrian Gonzales and Co. to maintain their winning momentum to further dominate in the NWSL standings and more.
“If those two get going together, that’s just like the perfect threat. Crafty midfielder underneath, who can score goals and create with someone who can push the pace and is creative like Trin. So they’re looking good,” concluded Rapinoe, urging both USWNT internationals to carry forward with their on-pitch antics.
Notably, Bethune had initially bounced back from a knee injury that cut short her remarkable rookie season, only to have a hip issue push back her full return. Even though she missed the final nine games of the regular season, her five goals and ten assists in 17 matches still helped her win the NWSL’s inaugural Midfielder of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Best XI First Team member.
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Trinity Rodman's tears of triumph—does her comeback mark a new era for the Washington Spirit?
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As for Rodman, her own struggle wasn’t an easy one. Taking time off the pitch to heal her back injury, the 23-year-old certainly went the extra mile—from flying to London to work with the Washington Spirit’s doctor to enduring training sessions so intense they made her throw up!
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Trinity Rodman confesses to a scary and doubtful return process!
When a player gets injured, the first thing on their mind is how quickly they’ll return, let alone going through painful sessions and a patient recovery process. So, how did Trinity Rodman manage her own journey? The answer is simple: everything was tough. “Being in pain all the time is really difficult. You’re always pushing to play at your highest level,” she said, while speaking to ESPN.

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NWSL: Portland Thorns FC at Washington Spirit Aug 3, 2025 Washington, District of Columbia, USA Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman 2 celebrates after scoring a goal against Portland Thorns FC during the second half at Audi Field. Washington Audi Field District of Columbia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAmberxSearlsx 20250803_ads_si2_049
People expect Trinity Rodman to deliver every week—and most of the time, the USWNT forward is up for it. But playing through pain and injury made it tough for her to handle the pressure and meet expectations. Even someone as talented as her wasn’t immune to self-doubt. Thankfully, things eventually fell into place, and her return to the pitch came at just the right time.
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“There were a lot of just hard decisions and a lot of pain and emotions through the entire, I don’t know, the entire year of going through it since it happened. So yeah, it was a very emotional game for me, obviously,” insisting that feeling out herself on the pitch again was all that she needed.
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So as they say, ‘All’s well that ends well,’ right?
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Trinity Rodman's tears of triumph—does her comeback mark a new era for the Washington Spirit?