Will Trinity Rodman be the star of the 2023 Women’s World Cup? I think she could be. Can Rodman, elevate her game to someone like Australian forward Sam Kerr? What with the tournament in Australia, you might lean to Kerr being the star of the tournament. However, Rodman has that youthful energy and confidence that might just lead her to go on a goal scoring tear. Which is just what the United States team hopes for.
At 29 years old Kerr is really in her prime. Rodman, just 21, is trying to make her mark and make people think of her and not her father when they see her last name on her soccer jersey.
She spoke to ESPN ahead of the tournament and said she expects the team to three-peat and how she’s looking to make a name for herself:
“My dad made a lot of mistakes through his career. I don’t want to say the wild child, but he was,” she added. “I think being a woman coming from the Rodman name, coming from the NBA legacy of Dennis Rodman, it was important [that] I didn’t want the comments of she’s only here because of that.
“She’s only here because there’s potential in the last name. That has always been important to me and will continue to be, but at the end of the day, I want the name to be Trinity Rodman and she earned it herself, not because she has that last name but because she earned her way.”
However, if I was Vlatko Andonovski I would play her nearly every minute of the tournament.
Moreover, Rodman is the type of player defenders hate to play against. She has speed and power and fights. It is question of how much playing time she will get for the United States. And where she will play, out wide or centrally.
In the send off match versus Wales, she came on centrally and scored two goals. One a tap in and the other a beautiful bending ball into the upper corner. See that goal in the video below. Rodman shoulders the defender off the ball and then goes for goal.
Additionally, what I like about Rodman’s style of play is she can help her team keep possession. She can lay the ball off and post up to hold the ball.
Now, she is the highest paid player in the NWSL. Playing for the Washington Spirit, she signed a three year deal worth $1.1 million, making Rodman the highest paid player in NWSL history.
I wonder if she will become the player earning the highest transfer fee for her club.
If Rodman has a successful World Cup, I wouldn’t be shocked to see a European team like Lyon try to snap her up. It would be the best move for Rodman, too. She’d be challenged more in European games and learn more in training day in and day out with the higher quality of coaching.
Sam Kerr makes $452,000 per year playing for Chelsea, so Rodman could double her salary if she goes to Europe.
If the United States is to win or advance very far in the World Cup tournament, I think it will because Rodman was getting plenty of playing time and scoring goals. She just needs the time on the pitch. We will know so enough if “Rodman World Cup star” is trending in social media.