Trinity Rodman may be a relative newcomer to the U.S. women's national team, but she already seemingly fits in perfectly with the reigning world champions as the Women's World Cup rapidly approaches.
The forward laid out the USWNT's expectations for themselves at the tournament in an interview with ESPN, and no surprise, the team is eyeing a three-peat after taking home the title in 2015 and 2019.
"My expectations are that we're the most ruthless team, we're never going to give up and we're going to get the title," Rodman said.
Between the rising quality of women's national teams around the world and turnover in the USWNT squad, Rodman admitted that World Cup victory won't be as easy this time as it was in the past. She has a point -- the team is traveling to Australia and New Zealand with 14 players who could play at their first World Cup, more than the 11 newcomers who won the World Cup in France in 2019.
The younger USWNT players may lack experience, but they more than make up for it in skill that should assist the team as it defends its title in what will likely be the most competitive World Cup yet. For no one is that more true than the 21-year-old Rodman, who demonstrated just that in Sunday's 2-0 win over Wales in the USWNT's final match before the World Cup.
Rodman was a halftime sub, and provided a needed spark up top after the USWNT struggled to break down a compact Welsh defense during the first half. The Washington Spirit standout connected perfectly with Lynn Williams and Sophia Smith to break the deadlock in the 76th minute, and capped off a strong outing with a goal from distance in the 87th minute.
The versatile Rodman fits in across the front line, but played as a center forward after replacing Alex Morgan. Her performance posed the question, despite the USWNT's embarrassment of riches in attack, is Rodman too good to leave on the bench once the World Cup gets underway?
USWNT attacking outlook
USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has given away few clues on his preferred World Cup starting lineup during the buildup to the tournament, but on Sunday opted to start Morgan alongside Smith and 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson. Smith, the current NWSL golden boot leader with 10 goals this season, is expected to be a starter once the tournament begins.
Veteran forward Morgan could also join Smith in the starting lineup come July 21st against Vietnam, but her role could be up for grabs if Andonovski prefers recent form. Morgan has scored just five goals in 11 NWSL games this season, with two of those being penalties, and two goals in seven games for the USWNT in 2023. And while she scored 15 goals last NWSL season, a third of thsoe were penalties as well, leaving real questions about how creative the veteran remains from open play.
Then there's Williams. Like Smith and Rodman, Williams is also in fine form. The NJ/NY Gotham FC forward has seven goals in 13 games this season, after her return from a serious hamstring injury. She certainly has an argument to become a mainstay in the USWNT lineup at her first World Cup. Fellow forwards Thompson and the legendary Megan Rapinoe will likely ride the bench in a first-choice lineup, but considering Andonovski has played his cards close to his chest, it's hard to rule anything out right now.
Andonovski might not answer those attacking questions for the USWNT's World Cup opener, though. He's expected to rotate the squad during the group stage, in which the team is scheduled to play two teams making their World Cup debuts -- Vietnam and Portugal. The coach may instead save his best team for the team's toughest opponent in Group E -- the Netherlands. A rematch of the 2019 final is set as the USWNT's second group stage game on July 26th.
