Trinity Rodman is taking a coffee break.
Not a break for coffee. A break from coffee. Specifically espresso.
Last summer Rodman and teammates Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson (née Smith) combined for 10 goals and five assists to lead the U.S. to its first Olympic title in women’s soccer in a dozen years. One of the three had the go-ahead goal in all six American wins in France, a performance deserving of a catchy nickname. So the caffeinated trio called themselves Triple Espresso.
But Triple Espresso hasn’t been on the USWNT menu since the gold medal game in Paris, the last time the three played together for the national team. And a reunion won’t happen anytime soon since Swanson remains out on a “personal break” and Wilson is on maternity leave.
Rodman, however, is back in training camp in Southern California and could play for the U.S. on Saturday when it meets Brazil at SoFi Stadium in a rematch of the Olympic final. But if she has any coffee while here, she’s planning to stick with decaf.
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“I used to really like espresso,” said Rodman, who is building up her playing time after missing four months with a back injury. “The national team has a lot of coffee drinkers. That’s their favorite hobby.
“After you have coffee for a very long time every single day, I’m like yeah, it’s time to take a little bit of a break.”
Rodman is the straw that stirs the espresso. At 22, she is the youngest and arguably the most vocal, energetic and recognizable of the trio, often playing with long pink braids trailing after her.
And the trip to Inglewood, where the USWNT will be playing in the world’s most expensive stadium for the first time, will mark a homecoming for Rodman and her mother Michelle Moyer, who moved from south Orange County to Washington, D.C., after Rodman was drafted by the Washington Spirit in 2021.
“I have a lot of friends and other extended family that will, for sure, come. So I have to scramble for ...
