Trinity Rodman plays for the United States Women’s National Team and the Washington Spirit of the NWSL.
Trinity Rodman, a soccer standout, is heading to Paris for her first Olympics with Team USA. Rodman, 22, was named to the USWNT’s 18-player roster for the upcoming July Summer Games by head coach Emma Hayes.
Rodman is one of nine first-time Olympians on the team, with Hayes opting for a younger lineup. The team’s average age is 26.8, four years younger than the team that won bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Rodman, a forward, has already competed on a worldwide level, representing the United States at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The California native recently chatted with Vanity Fair about the team’s camaraderie under Hayes, with the Olympics quickly approaching. “I feel like we’re more connected as a team and we’re working for each other,” says Rodman. “Not that we weren’t before, but I think recently it’s been more of a team effort and not just relying on certain people’s skill set and magic moments.”
Who is Trinity Rodman?
Trinity Rodman is a professional soccer player who represents the Washington Spirit of the NWSL as well as the United States Women’s National Team. She is also the daughter of Dennis Rodman, the five-time NBA champion. Rodman, who began playing soccer at the age of four, swiftly rose to prominence, winning many national championships with her young club team and competing in the United States national program before turning professional in 2021. She has since won a NWSL championship with the Spirit and participated in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She will compete for the United States squad at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Trinity Rain Moyer-Rodman was born in Newport Beach, California, on May 20, 2002. Her father is Dennis Rodman, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who played in the NBA from 1986 to 2000 and won five championships. Her mother is Rodman’s ex-wife, Michelle Moyer, who filed for divorce when Trinity was just a baby.
According to ESPN, Moyer’s divorce from Dennis lasted eight years until 2012, during which time he was primarily absent from Trinity and her older brother Dennis Jr.—also known as D.J.
Moyer brought up Trinity, D.J., and her older daughter, Teyana Lima, from a previous marriage. The family struggled financially and relocated perhaps ten times in a decade. Trinity and D.J. used to eat waffles in the hotel lobby for morning when the four lived at a Comfort Inn in Orange County, California. Lima assisted Trinity and D.J. by transporting them to school and sports practices.
Even as Trinity’s athletic career progressed, her father remained largely absent from her life. He surprised her by attending a 2021 NWSL playoff game. Trinity, on the other hand, claims that they still go months, if not years, without speaking.
“As I’ve previously stated, I’ve found closure with everything. I know he is proud of me. “I really do,” she told the Los Angeles Times in July 2023. “He has his own things to deal with, but, at the end of the day, he’s communicated to me that he knows I was going to be here, and that’s all I need.”
Youth Soccer Champion
Despite her financial struggles, Moyer was determined to provide her children with the opportunity to participate in sports. While D.J., like his father, leaned toward basketball, Trinity demonstrated a competitive streak in soccer from a young age. “I realized that soccer was going to be my thing when I couldn’t accept that people could play a sport just for fun,” recalled Rodman, who, even at the age of four, was obsessed with scoring goals and winning every game. A few years later, she had established herself as one of California’s most promising young athletes.
When Rodman was nine, she joined the SoCal Blues youth club team. According to her coach, Greg Baker, Trinity has been “one of the most athletic kids in Southern California since the day she stepped on the field.” Baker trusted in Rodman’s abilities so strongly that he helped pay for her annual dues and expenses, which reached thousands of dollars.
According to Baker, Rodman could juggle a soccer ball on her foot at 120 beats per minute using a metronome. However, she frequently lost possession during games, earning the harsh nickname “Turnover Trinity.” Rodman was able to shed this moniker and lead the squad to unparalleled success through video study and extra passing practice. Rodman and the Blues won four national youth titles in the Elite Clubs National League.
Rodman played soccer at Corona del Mar High School for one season as a student before transferring to JSerra Catholic High School and focused primarily on her club squad. The attacker also gained international recognition by representing the United States in the Under-17 and Under-20 categories.
The high-scoring forward attracted NCAA scouts and initially committed to the University of California, Los Angeles, before signing with Washington State University in December 2019. However, Rodman did not play a single collegiate match when her 2020 freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 epidemic. She decided to become pro right away instead.
