The injuries continue to pile up for the U.S. women's national team. But the bright light of Trinity Rodman's return offers some hope.
Already without Naomi Girma due to a calf injury, it was confirmed Wednesday that Tierna Davidson would be out for the rest of 2025 after tearing her ACL playing for NJ/NY Gotham FC last weekend.
The good news for Emma Hayes is that star forward Rodman is back in the USWNT squad for the first time in eight months—since winning a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics.
Rodman is the only member of the Olympic-winning USWNT forward line, nicknamed Triple Espresso, who is featured in the lineup set to face Brazil in the upcoming friendlies on April 5 and 8. Sophia Wilson is on maternity leave, and Mallory Swanson is missing due to personal reasons.
No April foolin': WE BACK, BAYBEEEE! pic.twitter.com/CsKZ5C77PF
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) April 1, 2025
Will Rodman play against Brazil?
Rodman is in the mix to feature in the USWNT's upcoming match against Brazil on Saturday at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles. However, based on her minutes with the Spirit, it would be a surprise for her to play much more than an hour.
Considering Rodman's recent back issues, it is also unlikely that she will feature in both matches against Brazil due to the short turnaround. The USWNT's second match against Brazil will be in San Jose, just three days after the first meeting.
When speaking to the media last week, Hayes was coy to promise too much when it came to discussing Rodman's involvement against Brazil.
"I have to urge a little bit of caution because she had an ongoing back complaint. I think she's on the right road ... but it can be quite easy to sort of trigger it. You can go from a position of a managed return to play, to too much. So I have to try and find the sweet spot," Hayes said.
What is the latest on Rodman's back injury?
Rodman first suffered from back spasms in 2021 and then re-injured her back in '24. After last year's flare-up, the 22-year-old missed a month of action before slowly being reintroduced to the Washington Spirit's starting lineup in November.
After losing the NWSL Championship final to the Orlando Pride, playing every minute of the Spirit's dramatic playoff run, Rodman spent the offseason rehabbing her back and continuing to turn down USWNT call-ups.
Trinity Rodman named finalist for U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year award✨🇺🇸https://t.co/KnDfFU8mUN
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) December 3, 2024
Rodman played 58 minutes across the first two weeks of the 2025 NWSL season and then made her first start of the year for the Spirit last Friday in a 2–0 win over Bay FC.
While her health is trending in the right direction, Rodman admitted after the Bay win that she still wasn't all the way fit just yet and may never quite feel the same.
"Honestly, I don't think my back will ever be 100%," Rodman told the media on Friday. "It's kind of an issue of—it's not one specific thing, it's just the way that my back's structured. And it's more so management than a curable fix.
"So I think we've managed it really well and I'm happy with the progression that we've had. But for me, I don't think my back will ever be the way it was my rookie year, which is unfortunate."
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Is Trinity Rodman’s Injury Status for USWNT vs. Brazil? .
