The Washington Spirit defeated Portland Thorns FC in a thrilling come-from-behind win on Saturday, 2-1, with Trinity Rodman showing her athletic ability in more ways than one.
The Spirit’s momentum shift was led by Rodman, who entered the match as an injury substitute in the 22nd minute for striker Ouleymata Sarr. It was a clinical finish by the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, and a game changer, as the crowd went wild over the forward’s goal celebration to make it 1-1 on the hour mark.
Rodman celebrated by mimicking a slam dunk and running along the sideline to high-five with new Spirit part-owner — NBA Hall of Fame legend Magic Johnson. The Los Angeles Lakers legend became an investor in the club earlier this week.
Trailing in the second half, forward Ashley Hatch threaded a long ball on the ground through to Rodman on a run into the attacking third. She carried the ball into the box and her strike split two defenders and got past the goalkeeper for the equalizer.
Take a look at the goal and celebration:
Spirit majority owner Michele Kang introduced Johnson on CBS Mornings as the newest Spirit investor on Thursday. Johnson added the club as just the latest franchise to his extended portfolio of club ownership stakes. He is a part-owner of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, and the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Johnson played in the NBA during the same era as Rodman’s father Dennis Rodman.
Johnson then celebrated with the team after the victory.
Rodman extended her outstanding outing later in the half and delivered the assist on the game-winning goal to teammate Leicy Santos. The Colombian international scored a header in the dying minutes of stoppage time. The Spirit’s win means they picked up a crucial three points in the league table with just eight weeks remaining in the regular season. The victory gives them a firm grasp on second place with 41 points, just three behind league leaders Orlando Pride, and they remain in contention for the NWSL Shield.
