The National Women’s Soccer League continues to intensify. With just six games until the playoff round begins, teams are battling to make the best out of it. Washington Spirit also managed to give their all last night, clinching an easy 3-0 win over Houston Dash. Though one cannot rule out the collective effort of the team, a pregame request from Trinity Rodman to rival goalie Jane Campbell surprisingly played a role as well!

Look how it turned out to be—The daughter of Dennis Rodman managed to get her name on the scoresheet. Well, to break the ice, this was exactly what Trinity had asked her fellow USWNT teammate and NWSL rival. Sharing her pre-kick-off conversation with Campbell in the postgame interview, Rodman said, “Jane’s a phenomenal keeper, and I asked her before the game not to have a highlight reel against me. So I’m glad that I could put one away.”

https://twitter.com/NWSL/status/1835402538998186291

One cannot deny the quality that Campbell possesses. Hence, it was only natural for Rodman to ask the 29-year-old to be easy on her while guarding the sticks for Dash. Call it mind games, but it surely worked in Spirit and Trin’s favor. Notably, the goal fiesta for Washington Spirit was started by striker Ashley Hatch, who opened the account inside 7 minutes from the spot.

Just around the half-hour mark, Hatch added another to end the first half with a double lead. Interestingly, a minute hadn’t passed for the second half to kick off and Trinity Rodman found the back of the net to make it 3-0. By successfully clinching three points, Spirit retained their second-place spot with a tally of 44, just a four-point deficit from leaders Orlando Pride.

Looks like Rodman would be trying to pull the similar trick she did with Campbell against other teams. While her contribution to the team is beyond that, a USWNT icon thinks otherwise!

Trinity Rodman has less to do in NWSL, compared to Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson!

In a recent episode of the RE—INC podcast with Christen Press, USWNT icon Tobin Heath believes that Trinity Rodman has an effortless role to play for her domestic side. Instead, she sided with other members of Tripple Espresso, stating that Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith face greater challenges leading their teams. Heath noted that after the Paris Olympics, every player would encounter unique difficulties in their respective club environments.

“Mal Swanson—she is going to have to carry that team if they go anywhere. She’ll have to do it but if you look at a Trinity Rodman, her team’s much more well-balanced. She doesn’t have to do [anything]. When you look at Sophia Smith, I would have never said this about Portland but same situation as Mal,” said Heath, emphasizing that both Smith and Swanson might need to put in extra effort for their respective clubs to achieve the necessary results.

One can understand this by simply looking at the NWSL standings. Notably, Rodman’s Washington Spirit, with 44 points, is only four points behind leaders Orlando Pride. In contrast, Smith’s Portland Thorns are in 6th place with 27 points, while Swanson’s Chicago Red Stars sit just behind in 7th with 26 points. To secure playoff spots, both Smith and Swanson will be required to lead their teams more decisively.

Meanwhile, Trinity Rodman and her teammates are already making themselves comfortable for the playoffs. It remains to be seen what happens at the end of the season.