HARTFORD, Conn. — Trinity Rodman, one of the scoring stars of the Olympic gold medal run in Paris last year, is returning to the U.S. women’s national soccer team in time for its match at Rentschler Field on Oct. 26.

Rodman, who scored three goals at the Olympics, including a game-winner in the knockout stage against Japan, has been sidelined much of the last 15 months managing recurring back injuries. But she has returned to her pro team and was called up to the 26-player USWNT roster announced Wednesday by coach Emma Hayes.

“We are extremely excited to get back together with the team,” Hayes said as the roster was revealed on Wednesday. “There has been a big gap from July until now and we’ve watched many club games. Now, it’s time to start the build toward qualifying for the 2027 World Cup. We want to maximize every minute we have together, push the players, and keep the momentum going. These three fantastic games ahead of us will help us do that.”

The U.S. team has three friendly matches lined up: Portugal on Oct. 23 in Pennsylvania and again in East Hartford on Oct. 26, then New Zealand in Kansas City on Oct. 29.

Stratford’s Alyssa Naeher, who retired after a history-making career as America’s goalkeeper, will be honored before the game at Rentschler at 4 p.m., following the U.S. men’s deaf national team’s friendly match against Germany, which starts at 1 p.m.

Rodman, 23, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, turned pro in 2021, joining the Washington Spirit that year. She has been with the USWNT since 2022, making the 18-player roster for the Olympics.

Her back injuries kept her out until April 2025, when she scored a goal for the U.S. in a win over Brazil, and a recurrence kept her out until recently. But Rodman has five goals in 11 games since returning to the Spirit.

“When she came in in April, I think she really felt she was in a good place, but the reality was having so much adrenaline got us through that game,” Hayes told reporters on a Zoom call Wednesday. “But afterwards, that reality hit home that there were some issues in her back that were unresolved and, collectively with club and country, we took the time to say, look, we’ve got to get it right for the long term. And I think that club and country collaboration has really put her in the position she’s in right now.”

Over her career, Rodman has played 47 games with the USWNT, scoring 11 goals.

Hayes gave many of her European pro players a break from action during the summer, but has reassembled most of her top players for this game in East Hartford, in which she will probably have 23 active. The rest of her roster:

— Forwards: Michelle Cooper, Catarina Macario, Trinity Rodman, Yazmeen Ryan, Emma Sears, Ally Sentnor, Alyssa Thompson.

— Midfielders: Sam Coffey, Lindsey Heaps, Claire Hutton, Rose Lavelle, Sam Meza, Olivia Moultrie, Jaedyn Shaw, Lily Yohannes.

— Defenders: Jordyn Bugg, Emily Fox, Lilly Reale, Tara McKeown, Avery Patterson, Emily Sams, Emily Sonnett, Kennedy Wesley.

— Goalkeepers: Claudia Dickey, Mandy McGlynn, Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

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