From Trinity Rodman’s first preseason practice with the Washington Spirit in February, her teammates noticed there was something different about the forward from Newport Beach, Calif. The youngest player ever drafted into the professional soccer league at 18 years old, Rodman garnered their attention for reasons other than the reputation that preceded her NWSL debut.

“When we drafted Trinity, I’d heard that she was an insane athlete, but thought she’d be more of a pick for the future,” Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe said. “When I saw her play during preseason, she was even faster than expected, but her strength was what amazed me.”

“I still remember the first practice that week that I had with her back in preseason and I just remember being like, ‘This girl is really good,’” said defender Kelley O’Hara. “Like I just got that feeling from her.”

It wasn’t until the Spirit started their Challenge Cup schedule and were playing against other opponents on a full field that the rookie’s talent crystallized for her teammates.

“It was, like, next-level Trinity,” said Spirit co-captain Tori Huster.

Just minutes into her NWSL debut on April 10, in the second half against the North Carolina Courage, Rodman expertly controlled a long ball at the top of the box and slid it past the keeper for her first professional goal. The league, and U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski, took notice.

💥 @trinity_rodman is here, and she is not. messing. around. pic.twitter.com/OY6i28k3ct

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 10, 2021

Before that goal, Rodman was perhaps best known in the public sphere as being the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman. After it, she began to forge her own path, confounding some of the best defenders in the world with her speed, playmaking and finishing ability and producing arguably the greatest rookie season in NWSL history.

“We have many great athletes in this league, but what separates Trinity is not only her athleticism but her technical ability,” said Courage defender Carson Pickett, who was playing left fullback for Rodman’s first goal. “She’s dangerous with and without the ball and is efficient with her chances.”

Finishing the season with seven goals and six assists, Rodman led all rookies in scoring despite trailing them in both age and college soccer experience. The 19-year-old was committed to play soccer at Washington State in 2020, but opted to turn pro out of high school when COVID-19 pushed the season back to the spring.

At the beginning of the Spirit’s season, Rodman mentioned O’Hara as one of her biggest mentors on the team. It was fitting, then, that Rodman assisted on O’Hara’s game-winning goal in the NWSL championship game to close out the Spirit’s 2-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars and bring home the first title in franchise history.

Picture-perfect first goal of the season from @kelleymohara 🔥#WASvCHI | @CBS | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/89ohWFr9Dl

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 20, 2021

After the game, the two stars sat side-by-side at the podium to speak with the media.

“The more I got to play with [Trinity] and just see — she says amateur, but she is so mature for her age — the player that she is impressed me all season,” O’Hara said as Rodman looked on.

“She does have that killer instinct, that never-say-die attitude, and the fact that I know she’s in front of me and I get to play with her gives me a lot of confidence on the field. She’s obviously done amazing this season, and it being a rookie season, I couldn’t be more proud. And I know that she has a lot ahead of her and I’m excited to watch her shine.”

The final against the Red Stars encompassed everything that made Rodman the 2021 Rookie of the Year. She set the bar for the Spirit’s energy in the second half, leading by example when Washington needed to step up its game. In the 61st minute, she carried the ball out of pressure in the midfield, found space just outside of Chicago’s box and shook the goalpost with the best shot the Spirit had taken up to that point in the game.

The Rook rocks the bar 👀#WASvCHI | @CBS | #NWSL21 pic.twitter.com/JbWH3LzQGi

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 20, 2021

“That’s actually where they came into the game,” former Red Stars coach Rory Dames said after the final. “I don’t think they were ever really in the game prior to that where I felt they were dangerous, but that kind of rattled the group and they got us on the back foot.”

From then on, Rodman didn’t let up. She stole more balls in the midfield, fired shots on target and set up scoring opportunities. Even Chicago’s experienced backline, led by Sarah Gorden and Tierna Davidson, couldn’t figure out how to stop her.

“Trin has picked up the speed of play so quickly and to her advantage,” Huster said. “Her technical abilities really showcase during games as well as her ability to use her athleticism to her advantage in defending. Her willingness to press, sometimes all on her own, are an incredible asset to have. I think her decision-making at this level continues to improve and has certainly been a reason for her success this season.”

The Spirit found out early in Rodman’s rookie season that she has the motor to run endline to endline without hesitation. Interim head coach Kris Ward consciously planned formations to encourage her to stay in the attacking third and not spend entire games running around.

As the season progressed, Rodman became a smarter playmaker who could speed up and slow down the play, recognize open spaces and combine with teammates.

“She’s so good at relieving the pressure on us by herself sometimes, with her ability to break out into the other team’s half and hold up possession and then just gives all the rest of our players in it [time] to join but also to take a breath while they’re joining,” Ward said.

Bledsoe cited Rodman’s perfect through-ball to Ashley Hatch for the game-winning goal in the Spirit’s 1-0 win over Racing Louisville FC in October as evidence that she’s more than a scorer.

“Rookies don’t do that, but Trinity does,” Bledsoe said.

The combination of Rodman’s technical, defensive and playmaking skills have landed her high on Andonovski’s watch list for the USWNT. After she represented her country with the U17 and U20 squads, Andonovski called the 2020 U.S. Young Female Soccer Player of the Year into camp for the senior team’s November friendlies in Australia. Rodman declined for undisclosed reasons, but she’ll likely remain in consideration for the 2023 World Cup roster.

Whatever her future on the national team holds, Rodman has all the tools to write her own script.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

The 2024 Solheim Cup tees off on Friday, with US golf stars looking to topple three-time defending champs Europe in the team tournament's 19th iteration.

Alternating between European and US host courses each edition, teams compete in three days of match play, collecting one point for every win and a half-point for every tie. The US needs a total of 14.5 points to take this year's Cup outright, while Europe needs just 14 to retain it. 

Team USA spans 12 of the sport's top-ranked and most decorated athletes, including Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Ally Ewing, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang, and the soon-to-retire Lexi Thompson.

US golfers on a mission to reclaim Solheim Cup dominance

Team Europe​ has held the Cup since 2019, but the margins have been razor thin. The 2023 event actually ended in a 14-14 tie, but as reigning champions, Europe retained the title in what the team considers their eighth victory over the US.

While the US holds the advantage over Europe in overall Solheim Cup wins, they haven't raised the trophy in seven years. And unlike other competitions with continuously swelling prize purses, only international bragging rights are on the line here.

Neither team has ever won four consecutive titles, and the US will aim to keep Europe from claiming that historic victory on home soil in Gainesville, Virginia, this weekend.

Star US golfer Nelly Korda sees Solheim Cup as "unfinished business"

All eyes are now on Team USA's Korda, who's coming off a banner 2024 after winning six different LPGA Tour events, including her second major.

"Whenever you get to wear the red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, there's a different meaning to it," the world No. 1 golfer told the BBC earlier this week. "You're playing not just for yourself, but for your captains, for your teammates, and your country, and there's just nothing like it. We have got some unfinished business."

How to watch the 2024 Solheim Cup women's golf tournament

The Solheim Cup starts Friday, September 13th, at 7:05 AM, with live coverage across NBC, the Golf Channel, and Peacock.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, Claire takes a moment to talk about the final few days of Alex Morgan’s professional career, how the soccer world has changed since Morgan’s debut, and how the star herself spoke about what’s next.

Then, she discusses what Angel Reese’s season-ending injury means for the WNBA playoff race, salutes the US Open, reflects on the 2024 Paralympic Games, and more.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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The USYNT cruised to the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup knockout round in historic fashion on Saturday, routing Paraguay 7-0 in Bogotá, Colombia, thanks to stellar showings from young NCAA and NWSL standouts.

Armed with the most pros to ever feature on a US U-20 World Cup roster with eight NWSL rookies, the USYNT pulled off the largest U-20 WWC win in team history.

The US hasn't won a U-20 WWC in 12 years​, with 2024 marking the first time they've made it out of the tournament's group stage since 2016.

Young NWSL and NCAA players level up the U-20 game

Though long viewed as inferior to Europe and its club-based academy system, US players opting to turn pro at younger ages are making the USYNT increasingly competitive — a trend that's also pushing college programs to new heights.

In Saturday's win, Angel City defender Gisele Thompson​ and Utah Royals rookie Ally Sentnor both found the back of the net, while the youngest goal-scorer in Seattle Reign history, winger Emeri Adames, tied Heather O'Reilly's 2002 national record for most assists in a single U-20 World Cup game with three in the first half. 

Representing the NCAA, Princeton junior Pietra Tordin made her U-20 World Cup scoring debut count with a hat trick — the first US player to do so since Savannah DeMelo in 2018.

USYNT to face Mexico in U-20 knockout clash

Unlike previous editions, this year's expanded U-20 World Cup​ includes a Round of 16 for the first time. 

The USYNT will face regional rival Mexico tomorrow, a team they lost to in the 2023 Concacaf Championship​ final before settling two July friendlies with a draw and a win.

How to watch the US vs. Mexico at the U-20 World Cup

Catch the US women's youth national team take on Mexico in U-20 World Cup action at 9 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage on FS2.

Already one of the most popular women’s spectator sports in the US, the 2024 NCAA volleyball season is off to the races this month as the shifting lines of modern college sports plays out in real time​.

Thanks to major conference realignments, regional rivalries turned national storylines will drive the narrative all the way to December's NCAA tournament.

The Big Ten's big changes

At the forefront of these shifts is longtime volleyball powerhouse the Big Ten, which welcomed USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington from the Pac-12 this summer to bring the conference total to 18 teams​.

Added travel, raucous home crowds, and even fiercer competition will play into the conference's season storyline as Midwest heavyweights Wisconsin and Nebraska meet West Coast specialists in a quest to bring the Big Ten its first NCAA title since 2021.

"We knew the venues, everything was comfortable," Oregon head coach Matt Ulmer, speaking with JWS at last month's Big Ten Media Day​ in Chicago, said of his team’s former Pac-12 home. "I think we're going to [see] a lot of uncomfortableness this year, just with new change."

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Surprises and upsets already define the 2024 season

Mirroring that uncertainty, several 2023 heavy-hitters​ have already produced surprising results this season. Two-time defending champion Texas fell to Minnesota in early non-conference play and again to unranked Miami last weekend, while Wisconsin went 0-3 before picking up a pair of weekend wins.

Then last week, 2023 runners-up Nebraska suffered a historic upset loss to unranked SMU, though they also bounced back with weekend victories.

With Power 10 rankings already a rollercoaster, expect even more impressive performances, greater parity, and larger crowds as college volleyball rides its meteoric rise through 2024.