Trinity Rodman seems to have left everyone in the lurch after sustaining a back injury against Kansas City Current last week. The USWNT superstar was forced to leave the pitch in a wheelchair as she tried to hide her face with a towel. Though it raised concerns over her presence in the final NWSL run, Washington Spirit boss Jonatan Giráldez has given a major update on Rodman ahead of the Angel City clash.

The daughter of Dennis Rodman alongside Casey Krueger has been left out of the squad that flew to LA for Matchday 22. While this creates a major concern regarding either player’s injury that’s not the case. Ahead of the match, Giráldez acknowledged that their absence doesn’t mean either of the players has serious injuries. “Trin- we checked her after the game, she [had pain] in her back,” said the Spanish tactician, as compiled by ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf. 

“After checking everything, the results have been good. This type of pain, you have to take care. So I thought the best for her and for the team was to stay in Washington to be 100 [percent] recovered without pain and ready to help us because we know that right now, we cannot commit any mistakes [with player management],” concluded Giráldez, insisting that he wasn’t ready to take the risk over their respective knocks.

Notably, the incident regarding Rodman had transpired during the 75th minute. After shielding the ball from the Current’s Temwa Chawinga, the USWNT player fell to the ground, lying face down. Known for challenging second balls and her relentless work rate, this time it led to injury. Medical staff quickly rushed onto the field to provide treatment.

Though she attempted to walk off with the help of two physios, Trinity Rodman was unable to continue. After five minutes, she was placed in a wheelchair and taken to the locker room, with Spirits ending the match with a 3-0 defeat against The Current.

Meanwhile, following the clash, Rodman’s agent, Mike Senkowski, informed the Washington Post on Saturday that she experienced an ‘intense back spasm.’ As for defender Casey Krueger, her adductor injury is also considered a minor one from Giráldez. Surely, his words give a sigh of relief to fans. But again, this raises another concern when will either of them return to action?

When to expect Trinity Rodman and Casey Krueger back to action?

Unfortunately, this is a question that even Jonatan Giráldez doesn’t know how to answer. Even though Trinity Rodman’s back spasm and Casey Krueger’s adductor knock are being considered far away from serious, the possibility remains for the duo to miss even Matchday 23. This is because the Spirt won’t be in favor of risking either player’s return.

Already, they are having a close affair for second place with both Gotham FC and KC Current, who trail by one and two points, respectively. Meanwhile, Orlando City sits comfortably at the top with 51 points, holding a 7-point lead over the Spirit. On top of that, the playoffs are just around the corner. Hence, no chance can be taken on either of the star players.