It was the 75th minute of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current’s clash with the Washington Spirit. The Spirit was trailing by a staggering 3-0, desperately looking for their second straight win against Kansas and overall 15th victory this season. However, as the team’s star player and Emma Hayes’ favorite child, Trinity Rodman seemed to be struggling against the blistering City Current offense propelled by one goal each from Nichelle Prince (4′), Lo’eau LaBonta (31′) and Temwa Chawinga (69′), a clash between Rodman and Chawinga saw the “Triple Espresso” out of the field with an injury. As Rodman will also miss the team’s upcoming clash against Angel City FC, does this mean a USWNT fallen star finally has a chance?

25-year-old “disappointed” star Ashley Sanchez and Trinity Rodman were a formidable duo in the Spirit roster. Taking the club to its first NWSL Championship title in 2021 and a first runner-up position in the 2022 NWSL Challenger Cup, Sanchez soon suffered a “heartbreaking” exit after the 2023 season. The star’s international career also took a nosedive last year after she was picked for the FIFA World Cup roster only to be benched for the entirety of the tournament. While the star, who’s made 27 USWNT appearances with three goals and three assists, lamented the loss of opportunity and promised to prove everyone wrong, the Paris Olympics came and went without a single peep from coach Emma Hayes.

“I’ve had pretty much no contact really, whatsoever, which is definitely hard as a player…But hopefully, after the Olympics, we’ll see what happens,” she admitted. Though Rodman’s predicted recovery won’t take long, the USWNT coach should be prepared for alternatives, as the US’s October friendlies loom. And Sanchez is more than ready to represent her nation as ESPN FC’s Ali Krieger opined how USWNT ” could use an Ashley Sanchez” in a conversation on Sep 25. In response, the North Carolina Courage star said, “It’s always hard when you’re not playing and the team’s not doing well and you think can make a difference,” and added, “Obviously I want to go back and make a difference and hopefully win some hardware in some way.” 

We all know how Rodman’s role was vital to the Olympic-winning US team’s forward lineup, as she netted three goals in the tournament. But who knows, her potential absence could re-open the USWNT doors for certain former mainstays.

Case in point: Veteran US star Lynn Williams made it to the Olympics quite late as she had to replace the injured Catarina Macario. Williams did it despite being a midfielder, unlike Macario, who is a striker. So, it won’t be beyond the 25-year-old midfielder Ashley Sanchez to push for a USWNT call-up, once again, as Rodman’s return remains uncertain.

Krieger also said that the NC Courage stars’ performances of late are enough to earn her a ticket to coach Hayes’ camp. For the unversed, ever since the forner Spirit player was added to the Courage roster during the 2024 NWSL Draft, she’s shown blistering form scoring three goals in three straight wins. Ironically, one of those goals was against Washington on June 29.

Anyhow, only time will tell if Sanchez’s star will rise soon. Meanwhile, let’s examine the latest update on Sanchez’s pal and former Washington teammate Trinity Rodman.

Is there a chance for Trinity Rodman to return earlier than expected?

Trinity Rodman tried hard to walk out of the field, but to no avail, as she had to be wheeled off to the locker room. Subsequent medical reports and updates from Rodman’s agent suggested that the 22-year-old contracted a lower back spasm. Anyhow, her agent believes that the injury isn’t too bad.

“Still in a [lot] of pain. But I’m hopeful [she] avoided a very serious injury,” Rodman’s agent told the Washington Post last week. Usually, back spasms take a few to several weeks depending on the intensity of the muscle strain. Since the player’s entourage has dismissed a serious injury, she could return to action before the USWNT’s October friendlies begin.

And now, as per a recent update, Coach Jonatan Girálde further informed it was “not a big injury” ahead of the team’s Angel City FC clash on Friday that Rodman missed, while also refusing to provide a timeline for her return. “We checked her after the game, she [had pain] in her back…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],” he said.

To give you some perspective on when we can expect a return, Cleveland Clinic reports spams can last for a few days to several weeks depending on the severity. But there’s also a higher chance for her to sit out and rest for those games since friendlies are less important than full recovery. In that case, Emma Hayes could consider summoning Ashley Sanchez to her tough USWNT core.