Washington Spirit forward and U.S. women’s national team player Trinity Rodman was taken off the field in a wheelchair following a back injury during her team’s 3-0 loss to the Kansas City Current on Friday.
The injury occurred in the 75th minute when Rodman fell to the ground after shielding the ball from Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga. After lying on the ground holding her back, she received treatment from the Spirit’s training staff. Despite her efforts to walk to the bench with assistance, Rodman ultimately needed a wheelchair to be taken to the locker room about five minutes post-injury.
Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez confirmed that Rodman felt something in her back but lacked detailed information about the injury, noting that further evaluation would take place once the team returned to Washington.
As Rodman left the field, the sellout crowd in Kansas City chanted her name. She later returned to the bench for the final moments of the match, which hindered the Spirit’s chances of securing the NWSL Shield.
Rodman has had an impressive season, tying for fourth in the NWSL with eight goals and ranking second with six assists. Her performance positions her as a likely finalist for the 2024 NWSL MVP award.
Since the start of 2023, no player has been as consistently featured on the U.S. women’s national team as Rodman, who has participated in every USWNT game over the past two calendar years. She was a standout during the team’s Olympic gold medal run last month, scoring three goals, including the decisive extra-time winner against Japan in the quarterfinals.
Kansas City’s victory not only clinched a playoff spot for the Current but also narrowed the gap to just two points behind second-place Washington. Chawinga’s league-leading 16th goal of the season puts her within striking distance of Sam Kerr’s single-season league record.