Just so you know, Trinity Rodman just scored the banger of the Olympic soccer tournament — men or women.
In her Summer Games debut, Rodman, a forward for the U.S. women’s team finished off an incredible counterattack for the United States, receiving a ball from midfielder Lindsay Horan on the left flank, pulling out a perfect a Cruyff turn, splitting two Zambian defenders in the process to set up her right foot, and smashing the ball past Zambian goalkeeper Ngambo Musole for the game’s first goal.
We’re sure all that goalkeeper saw was pink, not from her own bright pink jersey but from Rodman’s distinctive pink braids as she drilled home the first of what amounted to three first-half goals.
The match is Swanson’s 31st consecutive appearance for the national team, coming off a 2023-24 to date in which she has had a hand in a team-high 10 goal opportunities bagging five goals and adding five assists.
Not to be outdone, fellow forward Mallory Swanson bagged a brace (soccer term two goals by one player, for you newbies) setting a U.S. Soccer record while doing so with the fastest goals of any single player, again male or female, in a major tournament. Swanson’s goals, which arrived in the 24th and 25th minute of the first half arrived just 66 minutes apart from each other.
66 – Mallory Swanson’s goals 66 seconds apart are the fastest two goals by a single player in a major tournament in #USWNT history (previous fastest: 2:19 by Carli Lloyd in the 2015 World Cup Final). Blink. pic.twitter.com/Ha1EVkJ7UQ
— OptaJack⚽️ (@OptaJack) July 25, 2024
Mind you, there was still an entire half left to play.
In just a 45-minute span, albeit against a lesser opponent, the United States has looked the part of a team that can truly contend for gold — all while making new head coach Emma Hayes look like a genius with this lineup in the process.
Enjoy the Games.
