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Geno Auriemma was definitely crying this time when UConn won its 12th national championship — welcome to Full Time!
USWNT’s L.A. Moment
Trin’s back 📈 and Trin’s back 😬
It took five minutes on Saturday for Trinity Rodman to remind us of last summer’s gold medal run, the last time she wore the U.S. crest. The 22-year-old scored in the opening minutes of the USWNT’s 2-0 win over Brazil in front of 32,303 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Her fluorescent pick braids streamed behind her like cotton candy, as they did last summer, when she ran in behind Brazil’s defense. Angel City forward and Los Angeles native Alyssa Thompson provided the assist, deking past her defender and slotting the ball to Rodman as she darted in from the right wing.
Despite Brazil building into the match and maintaining control, the U.S. was able to hold them off thanks in part to goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce — who earned her first cap for the U.S. that night at age 28 — and a penalty kick from Lindsey Heaps. It was quite the way to usher in the venue’s first women’s sports event since it opened in 2020.
Something else missing from the U.S. in Rodman’s absence? Her iconic celebrations, which she continued over the weekend to the chagrin of the USWNT’s medical staff. First, the background:
Rodman has had multiple back issues that have sidelined her, including from the national team.
She told reporters last week that she doesn’t think her back will ever be 100% again.
You can understand why those on the sideline weren’t immediately laughing at her ouch-my-back-just-kidding celebration:
TRINITY RODMAN SCORES ON HER RETURN TO THE USWNT 💥
Catch the game on TNT and Max or watch the AltCast, hosted by Sam Mewis and Roger Bennett, on truTV & Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/afuziRcd3w
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 5, 2025
Head coach Emma Hayes has made it clear that she wants “Trin to be Trin,” but she looked amused when she said she’d “have a word” with Rodman after the game.
Rodman’s response: “I should have told them beforehand for sure. But you know, you gotta keep people on their toes.”
🎧 Tamerra Griffin was at SoFi and joined Jillian Sakovits to talk about the key moments. Listen to today’s “Full Time Review” for more.
Thompson is having a moment
Thompson burst onto the scene for Angel City FC and the USWNT in 2023. The first pick in that year’s NWSL draft, she skipped college to go professional — a move that helped her become the youngest player on the USWNT’s World Cup roster.
The year started high but ended with the low of limited playing time at the World Cup, and the USWNT’s round of 16 exit. Thompson spent the next year rebuilding herself with ACFC, waiting patiently for her USWNT return, but ultimately watched the Paris Olympics from home.
Hayes brought the 20-year-old ...
