Sophia
On the field or on the screen, Trinity Rodman always comes to play. After becoming the youngest player, at just 18 years old, to be drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League in 2021, she went on to win Rookie of the Year that season and help the Washington Spirit lift the NWSL championship trophy. Four years later, the 23-year-old forward has already established herself as a household name, and she’s using her platform as one of the sport’s biggest stars to help grow the women’s game, including partnering with EA Sports FC.
From Pitch to Pixel: Rodman’s Impact on Gaming and Soccer
Rodman’s influence now extends beyond the pitch, reaching a wider audience through her involvement with EA Sports FC. “It reaches a bigger audience,” Rodman explains. “Obviously, there’s people that watch sports and support women’s sports, but I also think it’s bigger than that. There are a lot of people who know nothing about soccer but are heavily into video games, so being able to connect those two worlds is putting more eyes on soccer for sure.”
This partnership means recognition for Rodman isn’t just about her on-field heroics, but her in-game prowess too. “It’s been a really cool thing to be a part of because even when meeting people, they tell me that my EA card is really good,” she says with a laugh. “Sometimes I’ll make the joke that honestly, my game version is better than I am in real life!”
Unveiling Her EA Sports FC 26 Rating
As part of the lead-up to EA Sports FC 26, Rodman got to unveil her in-game player rating. While most athletes might hope for perfection, Rodman braced herself for the inevitable desire for more. “I think no matter what, every player will always be mad about their rating and always want it to be higher, even if you’re at 99,” Rodman admits. “But as I’ve grown as a player, the game has done a good job of updating it as the years go on.”
This year, Rodman will debut at an 85 overall, placing her among the NWSL’s top 26 players. While generally pleased, she playfully hints at one area for improvement. “I need to talk to them about my defensive rating because I do believe it should be higher,” Rodman says. “I pride myself on being a forward that defends more than most!”
Despite her digital prowess, Rodman is quick to admit her real-life gaming skills are less impressive. “I’m just really bad, I’ve accepted that video games are not my best thing,” she confesses. However, she deeply appreciates the game’s reach, especially with the recent inclusion of women’s players. “It’s exciting,” she adds. “I love being recognized for that because it’s never something that I thought I could be a part of or even be in the game, so this being real life is really amazing.”
An Emotional Return: From Injury Nightmare to Stoppage-Time Heroics
Rodman’s journey back to the pitch has been nothing short of inspiring. After being sidelined for nearly four months due to a back injury, her return on August 3rd was a moment for the history books. Entering the Spirit’s match in the 76th minute, she scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to secure a thrilling 2–1 victory over the Portland Thorns.
“It was a long journey for me,” Rodman reflects. “Being a player that hadn’t dealt with any long-term injury, it was definitely a new experience with challenges and emotions I’ve never faced, so that game was amazing. Going into the game, I didn’t have expectations for how much I was going to play, because I truly didn’t know. I just was really excited to hopefully go into the game.”
The goal was more than just three points; it was an emotional catharsis, palpable to the fans who showered her with love. “Even if we had been down 6–0 and I scored that, I still would have been just as happy, I still would have cried,” she revealed. “Just being back on the field, being myself, having fun, not being in pain and showing why I play, and how excited fans were for me, not just because we won, but because they saw the emotions and the joy that I felt playing a game that everybody loves to watch and everybody loves to play.”
The Grueling Path to Recovery: A Testament to Dedication
During her recovery, Rodman kept her “why” at the forefront of her mind. Through the grueling process of returning to play—the hard work and repetitive drills—she never stopped remembering what she loved about the beautiful game.
“It was an interesting experience for me, but it showed me a different side of myself that I didn’t think I had,” Rodman shared. “I think I also surprised the people that I worked with just how hard I worked and how committed I was to getting back on the field.” She tuned out the outside noise, the chatter of those who thought she was just out having fun or relaxing when, instead, she was grinding every day to get back to the game that she loves.
“In reality, every single day I was getting up early, doing hours of physical therapy, working out to the point where I was throwing up in certain sessions,” she recounted. “I had never been through that, and I’m really happy with the experience I got because I learned a lot about myself and grew as both a player and a person.”
Eyeing the NWSL Championship: A Spirit United
Now, Rodman can turn her focus to helping the Spirit win another NWSL championship. The group came agonizingly close last season, losing 1–0 to the Orlando Pride in the final, and Rodman is determined not to let another opportunity pass them by.
“We have a lot of good players, a lot of talent, creativity, hard workers, but I think at times we can get disconnected on the field from game to game,” she observes. “Even going back to last year, we had so many amazing performances as a team, but once the championship came, we were all very disappointed in the way that we carried ourselves and, I would say, the mental weakness we had in that moment, because we weren’t carrying each other and we weren’t uplifting each other in the way we had before.”
“Once we have that consistency, those connections, and we’re meshing together on a game-to-game basis, we’ll be unstoppable for sure.”
Published Sep 10, 2025
JENNA TONELLI is a writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer. She is passionate about women’s soccer, particularly the NWSL, USWNT, and the Italian women’s national team. When not thinking about soccer, Jenna can be found drinking iced coffee and rooting for the Buffalo Bills. Follow @jennatonelli
