"Refs need to be better at managing" - Trinity Rodman lashes out at controversial decision after Washington Spirit vs San Diego Wave game

Trinity Rodman lambasted the referees for failing to manage the game properly during the match between the Washington Spirit and San Diego Wave. Although the Spirit secured a dominant win at Audi Field, the game extended deep into injury time.

Trinity Rodman, who was sidelined for a significant time due to a back injury, returned to the field in August and has shown signs of regaining form and confidence. In the recent Spirit's game against the San Diego Wave, she recorded seven shots despite the opponent team's defenders posing challenges.

Rosemonde Kouassi opened the game for Spirit, scoring a goal through a header in the ninth minute, assisted by Deborah Abiodun. Rodman's team held their momentum until Wave's forward Delphine Cascarino scored in the fifth minute of injury time, but Kouassi struck again with yet another goal to secure the victory.

Despite winning with the team, Rodman highlighted some instances of the referees' performances that frustrated her. Taking to her Instagram story, she wrote:

"“‘All ball’ the ref says to me for 90 minutes straight on every foul yesterday.”

She also added a picture of one of her tackles and specified:

"1. Both quads wrapped around left leg 2. Calls all ball and somehow it’s a goal kick… out on me 3. Wasn’t even checked on VAR 4. This is in no way coming for individual players. This is one of many examples…. Refs need to be better at managing these games. No words."

Trinity Rodman expresses her frustration; Instagram - @trinity_rodman

This stemmed from the referees visibly favoring the San Diego team on foul calls, while the Spirit struggled to receive fair treatment when aggressively challenged by their opponents.

Trinity Rodman once talked about learning from her mistakes after her first game back from the injury

Trinity Rodman at the Kansas City Current v Washington Spirit - (Source: Getty)

Trinity Rodman was away from team activities for several months starting in April this year, making her return in August as a substitute, and scoring a stoppage-time winner to outclass the Portland Thorns. Having proven her prowess after a rough patch, Rodman talked about her commitment to playing for both the team and her fans, and spoke about how the Spirit squad has been learning from past mistakes.

"We’re doing a lot better at managing it this time. I want to play, the team wants me to play, [and] fans want to see me play. I am learning from my mistakes; the team and staff are learning from the mistakes we made, we’re going to ease into it so I can be healthy for the playoffs because that’s important.” (via Olympics.com)

Trinity Rodman hasn't played with the National team since the SheBelieves Cup in April and will be eyeing a return to the USWNT this month. She has also been making headlines as tennis star Ben Shelton's girlfriend, often travelling with him to tournaments and cheering him on from the stands.