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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman said Thursday that a new team-first mentality has been a major factor in her development as she looks to cap a memorable year with another National Women's Soccer League title.
Saturday's clash with the Orlando Pride will mark Rodman's second NWSL Championship in four seasons as a professional. She delivered the game-winning assist in extra time in the 2021 final to help the Spirit lift their first NWSL trophy.
Since then, the now 22-year-old has emerged as one of the best players in the world. She scored three goals at the 2024 Olympics and started every game on the forward line to help the USWNT win a fifth gold medal.
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"I don't want to say it's surprised me, but I'm extremely happy with the way that the year has gone," Rodman said ahead of Saturday's NWSL Championship at CPKC Stadium. "I couldn't have asked for a better Olympics. I think the biggest thing for me has been not getting too hung up on mistakes and celebrating other people. I think that has been really good for my development.
"Really successful players that are developing can get really stuck in themselves and only thinking about their performance, when I feel like it's bigger than that. This year, I've really just put a huge focus on being a part of a team and learning and growing from the people around me. That's what I did at the Olympics and that's what I've been doing here at club."
Rodman added that the influx of attacking talent into the NWSL pushes her and other U.S. internationals to be even better.
"Obviously, being an attacker for the U.S. women's national team and for the NWSL, I want to strive to be the best and I want to be the best that I can be," Rodman said. "So, when there are people getting these titles and getting these trophies, you want to strive to get that. That alone I think pushes you when they're getting awards that you want to get."
Trinity Rodman is looking to cap a memorable year in Saturday's NWSL Championship. Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Rodman finished the regular season with eight goals, tied for sixth in the league. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda, who is Rodman's opponent in Saturday's final, scored 13. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga won the Golden Boot and set a new league record with 20 goals.
"It shows where the sport is going and with players like that that push the game and push the players to be better, that's just bringing in more people," Rodman said.
Rodman missed the last matchup between Washington and Orlando, on Oct. 6, when the Pride won 2-0 to clinch the NWSL Shield. She was dealing with back spasms that were reaggravated when she was tackled by Chawinga in a 3-0 loss to the Current on Sept. 20 at CPKC Stadium -- the site of Saturday's final.
Rodman joked that things can only go up from the last time the Spirit were in town, between her injury and the Spirit losing 3-0 while playing down a player.
Washington bounced back to finish second in the league and set a new NWSL record alongside Orlando, with each team winning 18 games in the season.
Three years ago, Rodman was a rookie on a team that won a championship while players publicly called for the removal of former team owner Steve Baldwin. On Saturday, Rodman and her teammates take the field in search of a second title, this time under the stewardship of owner Michele Kang and head coach Jonatan Giraldez.
"I don't want to say comfortable, but I'm a lot more confident in myself and in the team," Rodman said. "There's less bad nerves and more good nerves. We've created a good foundation and I think we've figured out what this team's identity is and now it's just about putting a nail in the coffin. We have nothing to add at this point, it's just locking in for this last game. Everyone's on the same page of that; everyone's ready to step up to the spot."
Source: espn.co.uk