Life comes at you fast, they say, and Trinity Rodman is feeling it more than most right now. A few months ago, the Washington Spirit forward was struggling with a back injury so severe that she admitted, “Don’t think my back will ever be 100%.” Yet, lengthy breaks and even a trip to London for treatment saw Rodman do everything in her power to come back stronger, culminating in a call-up from Emma Hayes for the October international window. But just when things seemed on the mend, misfortune struck again: Rodman is now dealing with a new injury that casts doubt on her USWNT return, at least, that’s what an update from her Spirit boss, Adrian Gonzalez, tells us.

For context, last Thursday, the 23-year-old had to leave the field in tears during her team’s commanding 4-0 victory over CF Monterrey Femenil in the Concacaf W Champions Cup due to what appeared to be a knee injury. Though the returning timeline seemed uncertain, it was later announced the next day that Trinity Rodman is expected to return after approximately 3 weeks. But as the Washington side gears up to face Orlando Pride for their NWSL matchday 25, it was only natural for Adrian Gonzalez to be quizzed for a potential update regarding his star winger.

As compiled by renowned journalist Jeff Kassouf on X, the head coach said, “The results that we got are the best scenario. Obviously, an injury is not always a good situation. It’s not as bad as it could be. She’s starting now the rehab. She has an MCL sprain. It’s not too big, too much, but we need to see how she’s doing today, start the rehab today, and try to support her in this situation.”

As soon as the medical team diagnosed the issue as an MCL sprain, Gonzales assured that Trinity Rodman is on the road to recovery. In fact, the Spanish tactician added that the club will be monitoring her progress slowly and steadily, day by day, which he described as the “best-case scenario” for the time being.

Notably, the injury occurred during the 37th minute of the match as Rodman contested the ball with Monterrey’s Daniela Monroy near the touchline. Sadly, the struggle to win possession saw the youngster go down in visible pain and immediately signal for medical attention. Trainers rushed to her side as the California native remained on the ground, clearly in distress.

Even when attempting to stand, she began shedding tears, unable to put weight on her right leg. With no possibility of continuing, Adrian Gonzales and his staff substituted Rodman in the 41st minute, bringing on Brittany Ratcliffe. Remarkably, observers at Audi Field saw the Newport Beach native heading to the locker room on crutches during halftime. She was later seen wearing a knee brace after the match.

Thankfully, her teammates stepped up, with Croix Bethune scoring in the first half and Rosemonde Kouassi (54′), Gift Monday (57′), and an own goal from Valeria del Campo (67′) adding to the tally, securing a 4-0 win that put the Washington Spirit atop Group B and into the tournament semifinals. But of course, it came at the cost of seeing Rodman get injured. And this brings up one big question: will Trin don her USWNT shirt for the upcoming October window?

Emma Hayes should start finding a replacement for Trinity Rodman

Just in case, though, nothing is certain. The US Women’s National Team will return for the October friendlies in about a week, facing Portugal in a doubleheader on Oct. 23 and 26, followed by a match against New Zealand on Oct. 29. With Trinity Rodman still in a stage where there’s no definite answer on her return, there’s growing doubt that she will be able to participate in the entire camp.

Even if there’s a chance she misses the first two games and somehow makes it for the third, it’s not a reliable option. And to be fair, that would be natural—any injury requires patience and, more importantly, a careful approach to avoid a rebound or setback. What could follow would be a nightmare scenario. So, as much as Emma Hayes was happy to see Rodman’s return, it now seems likely she may have to omit her and bring in another player in her place.

Regardless, crossing fingers and being optimistic is the only medicine both fans and Trinity need!