Fresh off of signing a massive contract extension with the Washington Spirit and winning a friendly against Paraguay for the U.S. Women’s National Team, Trinity Rodman has plenty to celebrate.
She even got her coach, Emma Hayes, in on the fun.
Rodman, 23, came off the bench to score a goal for the national team in its 6-0 win on Saturday, January 24, and her goal celebration with Hayes, 49, is going viral.
“She did it, and I couldn’t quite see, then she came over to me,” Hayes told reporters after the game. “She asked me to mirror it, and I said, ‘I’m 49 years of age. There’s no chance I’m doing that!'”
But as she told TNT, which aired the game, Rodman was relentless.
“She said, ‘You are doing it tonight,’” Hayes said. “So [team member] Tara Rudd has been teaching me. And it went OK and then Trin got upset that she didn’t get to teach me.”
The result was exquisite. Rodman was only able to get Hayes to dance for about three seconds, but in that time, the older coach more than held her own, mirroring her star forward.
The U.S. was already up 4-0 when Rodman entered the game for the first time, leading Hayes to think the team might coast to victory rather than staying aggressive and putting her at risk of dancing.
“I thought, ‘You know what? The game’s comfortable. Trin’s not going to score tonight,” she said. “It’s a crowded box, and the minute she chopped inside, if you’d have seen, if you had panned towards me prior to that, my head was in my hands.”
Hayes added, “I was dying. I was dying. But listen, these players keep me young. I’m not complaining.”
Rodman’s goal was her first on the international stage since April 2025, as an MCL injury that she sustained during the NWSL season kept her out of action. Through the jokes (and maybe some embarrassment), Hayes was able to appreciate Rodman’s journey back.
“I’m happy for her, I really am. It was a hard year, as we know. And she’s ready to move forward, which I think today symbolizes that this is a fresh year. It’s a fresh start for her,” she said. “She’s settled, she’s happy. I think knowing what her future is, this is a big weight off of her shoulders.”
Rodman is also making strides domestically. The Spirit star is a week removed from signing a three-year extension with the club, making her the highest-paid women’s soccer player in the world. ESPN reports she will make around $2 million per year.
“I’ve made the DMV my home and the Spirit my family, and I knew this was where I wanted to enter the next chapter of my career,” Rodman said in a press release. “I’m proud of what we’ve built since my rookie season, and I’m excited about where this club is headed. We’re chasing championships and raising the standard, and I can’t wait to keep doing that with my teammates and the best fans in the NWSL.”
