'A little bit of magic' - With power and purpose, USWNT's Trinity Rodman is creating miraculous moments in breakout Olympics run

Rebounding from disappointing World Cup, 22-year-old U.S. winger making magical memories as U.S. pursues gold at Paris Games

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  A breakthrough, then a setback

  In January 2022, Rodman was handed her first USWNT call-up and, over the next year and a half, she became a star. Part of that, of course, was due to her famous last name, but most of it was due to her ability on the field.

  From the start, Rodman's ability screamed game-changer. By the time the 2023 World Cup kicked off, she'd scored four goals. Two of them came in the send-off friendly against Wales, as Rodman became the youngest USWNT player to score a brace in team history despite playing just 45 minutes. She'd introduced herself to American soccer, but the World Cup was her chance to introduce herself to the world.

  It didn't quite happen that way. As with the U.S. team in general, Rodman struggled in the World Cup. She didn't score during the USWNT's four-game run, which saw them crash out with the worst finish in team history. The World Cup showed that, while Rodman was on her way, she had not yet arrived.

  To say that she's responded would be an understatement. That setback just added fuel to a competitive fire that is starting to burn brightly.

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  Improving along the way

  From the moment that World Cup ended, it felt as if something in her changed. In the months since the U.S. returned to the field, it's been an entirely new Rodman.

  Immediately after the World Cup, she scored two goals during September friendlies against South Africa. She scored another in December against China. In the wake of the World Cup disappointment, Rodman didn't sulk or question herself; she rebuilt.

  At the World Cup, Rodman looked somewhat timid, but no more. Rodman has plenty of assets, from her pace to her dribbling, but the piece that connects it all is confidence. When Rodman is free from self-doubt and flying all over the pitch, there are few players in the world that can stop her.

  It's not just pure ability, either. USWNT captain Lindsey Horan says Rodman has another superpower that many superstars her age don't: coachability.

  "She has so much talent," Horan told GOAL. "She has her physical ability, as do the other two [Sophia Smith and Mal Swanson], but Trin? I don't think people see this, but she is a very, very coachable person and works really, really hard. The things that have been asked of her, she's put right into her game. She does so many of the little things where I'm just like, 'This does not get appreciated as much'.

  "People are going to talk about her nutmegs but she's like, really worked on the defensive side of her game as well, where she's tracking back like 60 yards to go make a tackle. She's such a well-rounded player now. I'm really, really proud of her."

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  Lighting up the group stage

  It was almost impossible for any USWNT player to stand out in the group stage - nearly everyone was dominant in their own way. From Naomi Girma's elegance in defense to Swanson's goalscoring return, the group stage was about as perfect as Emma Hayes could have hoped.

  But we're talking about Rodman - and she gave us plenty to talk about.

  She scored the first goal in the 3-0 win over Zambia, announcing her arrival to France in a big way. Played in by Horan with a defender over her shoulder, Rodman back-heeled her first touch right on by and into space. She proceeded to spin and finish to give the USWNT a lead, sending a message in the process: the U.S and Rodman had arrived at these Paris Games with power and purpose.

  That messaging continued with a resounding win over Germany and then a 2-1 win over Australia that featured another Rodman goal. This one was less artistic, as she merely finished a set piece on the back post but, even so, it was a massive moment for both the team and its 21-year-old superstar in the making.

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  A blackout-worthy goal

  The U.S. was in real trouble. Japan were frustrating them in their quarterfinal clash and, with time winding down in extra time, penalties were looming. Barely 15 minutes separated these two teams from a coin flip of a shootout.

  Then Rodman happened. With one swing of the foot, and a bunch of perfect touches in the seconds prior, the USWNT were into the semifinal. After a 105-minute slog of a game that saw the U.S. unable to really threaten Japan's low block, Rodman torched them in a five-second span that made all 120 minutes worth it.

  "Not all soccer is pretty soccer," Rodman said, "but I think we kind of knew that it was going to come down to something brilliant like that. If it came from me or anybody else on the field, we knew that it wasn't going to be tiki-taka in the box. It was one moment that we had to capitalize on and that's what happened."

  And what happened was career-defining.

  "That's the best moment of my career," she said. "I couldn't have asked for anything better."

  Her teammates were not surprised. They've had a front-row seat to Rodman's development. She's no longer a rising star - she's a bonafide superstar with the ability to change the biggest of games.

  "Of course, Trinity is going to do that," said Swanson, who partners with Rodman and Sophia Smith on the front line for the U.S. "I think sometimes in games like this, it just takes a little bit of magic, a little bit of individual brilliance. And that's what Trinity did."

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  The USWNT's newest superstar

  When you're a team like the USWNT, you're not limited to just one superstar or one face of the team. It's a privilege - or burden, in some cases - that can be distributed across the squad. On some days, it can be one player and, on others, it can be another. This team is about more than one player.

  But when you discuss faces of this team, Rodman is clearly high on the list.

  And remember, this is all still just beginning for Rodman, who is just 22 years old. This is just her second international tournament and, in the decade or more to come, there will be plenty more. There will be more fancy skills, more big games, more historic goals - this is a new era for the USWNT, and Rodman is already making her imprint.

  More moments will arrive, more moments that seem the stuff of dreams. And you can bet Rodman is ready to make more magic happen.