Trinity Rodman continued his excellent 2024 season on Saturday, scoring a stunning solo goal and assisting on a stoppage-time game-winner for the Washington Spirit and providing the perfect start for new investor Magic Johnson.
Rodman brought the 14,000-plus crowd at Audi Field to its feet with a 60th-minute equalizer against the visiting Portland Thorns.
The forward burst into the penalty area before weaving through two defenders and finding the bottom corner of the net before racing to the sideline to celebrate with a dunk in front of Johnson and team principal owner Michele Kang.
The effort cancelled out Hina Sugita's opener early in the second half.
But Rodman still had much more to offer: He scored three goals to help the U.S. women's national team win Olympic gold last month and was nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award earlier this week.
In the sixth minute of added time, 22-year-old Rodman brilliantly beat her marker on the right and sent in a perfect cross for Leicy Santos to head in the winner and spark further jubilation.
Former Los Angeles Lakers star Johnson was again among those toasting Rodman's magic.
“I had an amazing time at my first Washington Spirit game!” Johnson later wrote on X. “Our fan base is incredible and we want to thank our amazing players for pulling off an exciting 2-1 win over Portland!
I want to thank my partner and majority owner of Washington Spirit, Michele Kang, for allowing me to be an investor and part of this first-class organization. I am excited for all that is to come!”
The 65-year-old's investment in the Spirit was announced on Thursday and Johnson said he was “excited to join the Washington Spirit investor group at such a pivotal time in the club's history.”
Saturday's 2-1 win kept the Spirit firmly in second place in the NWSL standings with seven games remaining in the regular season.
Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, now has seven goals and five assists in the NWSL this season.
