USWNT star Trinity Rodman: I've learned to be confident in myself

At just 20 years old, Trinity Rodman is wise beyond her years.

The Washington Spirit forward and women's football star has opened up on receiving online hate and being compared to her father, NBA legend Dennis Rodman.

“Still being as young as I am, I would go through my comments and see not-so-positive ones and it would upset me,” she revealed in a recent interview with PEOPLE.

“I’ve learned to just be confident in myself and be proud of everything that I do.”

Undeterred by negative feedback, Rodman is determined to present her ‘true self’ to her fans.

“There’s going to be people out there that have their opinions and don’t agree with what you put out, but I think it’s just staying true to yourself and putting out what you want others to see.”

The USWNT youngster thinks opting for a different sport than her father has alleviated the pressure to meet certain expectations, allowing her to focus on her own game and forge her own unique path.

“I think when I was younger, a lot of people had this expectation that everything was handed to me,” she added. “But in terms of on the field, I don’t think I struggled much with that.

“We [Rodman and her father] play different sports and I don’t think anybody had the performance expectations in a sense.”

As an 18-year-old, she stormed onto the scene back in 2021 with a seven-goal, seven-assist rookie season for the Spirit, and is continuing to grow on and off the pitch.

While the 2022 campaign didn’t see her replicate those numbers, she’s very much hit the ground running in the early days of the current season with two goals and one assist in three games – such form that could see her Australia bound for the World Cup this summer.

But when she’s not lacing her boots in the NWSL, Rodman is keen to combat the hate by using her platform to ‘connect’ with people.

“I’m very big on connecting with followers, fans, and just over different people,” she said.

“At the end of the day, [dealing with negativity] is very difficult, but you’re not going to be able to erase the hate.”

Rodman and the Washington Spirit will be back in action on Sunday 23 April, when they face the Houston Dash.