30 American athletes to watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics
By Nick Villano
9. Trinity Rodman
Soccer
We mentioned a lot of the overall U.S. Women’s National Team headlines when we spoke about Jaedyn Shaw, but we’ll go over them quickly again. U.S. Soccer is trying to forget a few recent failures, including the most recent Women’s World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics. They are going with youth after using mostly veterans in the most recent major tournaments. We all saw that Alex Morgan was left off the team, and it opens the door for new stars. That includes 22-year-old Trinity Rodman.
Rodman is one of nine first-time Olympians on the roster, and she’s earned her spot. The National Team has had their eye on her for years, possibly a decade. She was the youngest player ever drafted into the NWSL, going to the Washington Spirit at 18 years old. She scored seven goals and seven assists in her rookie season. Her success caused the NWSL to change its age restrictions, seeing a young player can excel if the talent dictated it.
Now, she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be, representing her country on the biggest stage. She may be young still, but she is the future of this sport. Rodman had 10 points in 18 games playing for the National Team in 2023, and she looked to build on that this year.
If her name sounds familiar, she is indeed the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman. Despite this, Rodman was still an underdog, as she was raised by a single mother and still struggled financially. The divorce proceedings between her mother and the Hall of Famer lasted almost a decade. However, her talent was evident from day one. She became a marvel and is now ready for the national stage.