Trinity Rodman, fresh off signing a contract with the Washington Spirit, scored and the United States had five second-half goals in a 6-0 rout of Paraguay on Saturday.
Ally Sentnor added a pair of goals and Reilyn Turner scored in her debut match for the United States. Emma Sears also scored.
Turner, who plays professionally for the Portland Thorns, scored in first-half stoppage time on an assist from Thorns teammate Olivia Moultrie.
Sentnor added a goal in the opening minutes of the second half to put the United States up 2-0.
After an own goal in the 53rd minute, Rodman scored her 12th international goal in her 48th appearance with the team. Rodman, named captain for the match, celebrated with a brief dance for the U.S. bench.
Sentnor added her second in the 57th minute, capping a span that saw the United States add three goals in four minutes. Sears made it 6-0 with a goal in the 72nd.
“I think in the first half there were definitely nerves. We were rushing a lot,” Rodman said. “I think there was almost too much space, that we were overthinking things.”
[MORE: What’s Next: USA Star Trinity Rodman’s New Deal Is A Massive Boost for NWSL]
It was the primary of two matches for the U.S. staff to conclude its January coaching camp. The USA additionally performs Chile in Santa Barbara on Tuesday night time.
European-based U.S. gamers weren’t included within the camp as a result of they’re within the midst of their seasons. Gotham gamers have been additionally left off the roster as they put together for the ultimate stage of the primary Ladies’s Champions Cup in London subsequent week.
The gamers within the beginning lineup Saturday averaged simply 10 appearances with the nationwide staff. Coach Emma Hayes was working with a bunch of Nationwide Ladies’s Soccer League gamers coming off an offseason.
“We had three debutantes, gamers which have solely possibly performed a second or third cap. There was quite a lot of inexperience for us, and quite a lot of nerves that include that,” Hayes stated. “However I assumed the staff handles themselves very well, contemplating.”
The staff honored retired ahead Christen Press earlier than the match. Press received Ladies’s World Cup titles with the USA in 2015 and 2019 and a bronze medal on the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Over a decade with the nationwide staff, she appeared in 155 matches, scoring 64 objectives and 43 assists.
Press, who formally retired from skilled soccer in October, was among the many nationwide staff gamers who fought for equal pay and likewise advocated for higher pay and enjoying circumstances within the NWSL.
Rodman agreed on Thursday to a three-year contract to stay with the Washington Spirit, ending months of hypothesis about her future within the NWSL. At situation was the NWSL’s wage cap and whether or not it has hampered the league from attracting and sustaining high gamers.
[MORE: USA Star Trinity Rodman Announces She’s Re-Signing With Spirit, Staying In NWSL]
The 23-year-old Rodman grew to become a free agent on the finish of final season after 5 years with the Spirit. One of many largest stars within the NWSL, protecting her within the league was thought of vital as different U.S. nationwide staff stars, together with Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson, opted to play in Europe.
The monetary particulars of Rodman’s contract weren’t disclosed, however the Spirit known as it “one of the important offers in NWSL historical past.”
Hayes known as it a “monumental achievement for the NWSL.”
“I feel it’s actually incredible for the NWSL that they’ve been in a position to preserve Trinity Rodman,” Hayes stated in a prematch information convention. “I feel understanding that she’s going to be settled and pleased in Washington goes to be a win for the U.S. nationwide staff, as a result of, as I’ve at all times stated, happiness and what they need is of the very best order to me.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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