Trinity Rodman Breaking Records in Short Career So Far

A future soccer star was born on May 20, 2002. The kid pursued soccer despite her father being an NBA Hall of Fame inductee. Her mother played a crucial role in her development as a soccer player. In 2021, she became the youngest player drafted in the NWSL. Dennis Rodman’s daughter Trinity Rodman had announced herself on the US soccer scenario.

Rodman received valuable advice from late Kobe Bryant when she was eight, which proved phenomenal in her career. He told her that girls can do everything guys can do. Such was her impact in the first season. Her former coach likened her start to the professional career to that of Michael Jordan’s early years in the NBA. 

With FIFA Women’s World Cup this year, Trinity Rodman will hope to make an impact for USWNT, with Mallory Swanson sidelined through a patella tendon injury. Let us take a look at the career of Rodman and some unique records broken by the starlet.

Trinity Rodman became the youngest drafted player in NWSL

Rodman started playing for SoCal Blues at 10. At 18, USWNT forward joined the college team Washington State Cougars for the 2020 season. But, she didn’t play a single game as the season got canceled due to the Covid pandemic. Rodman decided to go pro and made her available for NWSL College Draft in 2021. 

Trinity Rodman came into the draft with a great experience with USWNT U-17 and U-20 teams. Rodman made appearances in FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018. But her goal-scoring heroics at the 2020 CONCACAF U-20s Championship proved substantial. It didn’t take long for the starlet to be picked in the NWSL Draft 2021.

Washington Spirit picked her second overall pick, making her the youngest drafted player in NWSL history in 2021. Currently, Alyssa Thompson holds the record. Rodman had a sensational debut for the Spirit in 2021, helping them win the NWSL Championship.

Trinity Rodman: Highest-paid NWSL player

After becoming the youngest drafted player in NWSL history, Rodman made her debut in April 2021 in the NWSL Challenge Cup. The starlet scored her first professional goal in five minutes after coming on as a substitute. During the rookie season, Rodman scored seven goals and assisted seven more in all competitions.

Spirit forward scored a goal in the playoff semifinal to take the club to the final. She assisted the winning goal in the playoff final, helping Spirit win their maiden championship. The NWSL franchise opened contract extension talks with the starlet after her sensational performance in the first season. Spirit gave a new contract to Rodman making her the highest-paid player in NWSL history. 

The contract was worth $1.1 million, keeping her at the club till 2024, with an option of one more year. It was a deserving contract after a record-breaking first season in NWSL.

Rodman’s unique records

Rodman took the league by storm after becoming the youngest player drafted in NWSL history in 2021. She scored crucial goals for Spirit taking them to playoffs for NWSL Championship. Spirit took on OL Reigns in the playoff semifinal, and Rodman scored a goal in the win. In the final, Rodman assisted the winner, making her the youngest player to provide an assist in the playoffs at 19. 

She finished as the second-highest scorer for Spirit in 2021, scoring seven goals in all competitions. It was a sensational year for the rookie, winning the NWSL Championship in the first year and getting a record-breaking contract from Washington Spirit. It resulted in Vlatko Andonovski calling her for She Believes Cup 2022.

Honors and awards won by Rodman

Rodman won the U-20 CONCACAF Women’s Championship with USWNT in 2020. Her goal-scoring exploits in the championship helped her to get nominated for the US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year for the same year. She didn’t win the award. But her stellar season with Washington Spirit in 2021 help her win it in 2021. 

Trinity Rodman also won the NWSL Rookie of the Year in 2021. She was named to the NWSL Best XI of 2021 for the scintillating 2021 championship-winning season. With USWNT, the Spirit starlet has won the She Believes Cup 2022 and 2023. Rodman also won the CONCACAF Women’s Championship in 2022 with the senior team.

The unfortunate injury to the star forward Mallory Swanson can provide a chance for the Spirit starlet to grab the starting spot for the USWNT in this year’s FIFA World Cup. It will be interesting to see how Rodman responds this season to make it to the starting XI of USWNT.

READ MORE: Trinity Rodman: A Look at Her Professional Career So Far

Trinity Rodman, who wants to imbibe never give up attitude of her father, has started the NWSL in the great possible way. She has notched two goals and an assist in three games this season. 

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Will Trinity Rodman make it to the starting XI of the USWNT in the FIFA World Cup this year?