U.S. WNT forward Amy Rodriguez has reached the highest pinnacles in women’s
soccer. With two Olympic gold medals (2008 and 2012) and a World Cup title
(2015) on her resume, she also has also scored some important goals in U.S.
WNT history. None of them were bigger than the one in 2010 against Italy
during the second leg of the Women’s World Cup playoff that gave the USA a
1-0 win, and a 2-0 victory on aggregate, which secured a berth to the 2011
Women’s World Cup in Germany.
Rodriguez became a mom for the first time in 2013 when she gave birth to
her son Ryan about a year after winning the gold medal in London. She got
back to full fitness in time to earn a spot on the 2015 FIFA Women’s World
Cup team where she contributed to the USA’s historic championship. A year
later, she gave birth to her second son, Luke.
Rodriguez’ final WNT game before her second pregnancy leave was on Oct. 25,
2015 during the USA’s Victory Tour. She did not play a competitive match –
for club or country – in 2016. In 2017, after working incredibly hard to
bounce back from having the second baby, Rodriguez was fit and ready to
step back on the field and resume her career.
Her first official return to competition came with the U.S. WNT on April 6,
2017, when she played a solid 10 minutes against Russia in Frisco, Texas.
Twelve days later, she stepped on the field with her club FC Kansas City
for its opening day match on April 18, 2017.
It was a dream start, if only for a few minutes, as Rodriguez scored in the
48th minute to put FCKC up 2-0. There was joy and jubilation. The
long-awaited return had come and been punctuated with a goal. But sometimes
the universe can be cruel, and just six minutes later as Rodriguez was
receiving a pass, an opposing player knocked into her right side, forcing
her to jam her left foot awkwardly into the ground. The pressure appeared
to cause her left leg to buckle, at which point she fell to the field,
curled onto her left side and pounded her fist repeatedly on the turf.
It was tough to watch. Fans in the stands sat in complete silence. Everyone
in the women’s soccer community was left speechless. She has battled so
hard to return, and now this? It was unfair, and it probably would have
been the end to a career for many.
She had won a World Cup, two Olympic medals, a pair of NWSL titles and an
NCAA title at USC. She could have called it quits and retired from soccer
with her legacy secure.
But Rodriguez didn’t feel like she was done. The Southern California native
is a competitor and never for a moment did she doubt she was going to pull
on the U.S. jersey again.
“It’s remarkable how well she’s come back, and I know the work she’s put
into it,” U.S. WNT head coach Jill Ellis said. “To do it with two young
boys, its exceptional. Her commitment is fantastic. She still has the same
qualities and she’s just a great human being.”
On April 14, 2018, Rodriguez made her return to the field at Rio Tinto
Stadium with her new NWSL club, Utah Royals FC. It was a special moment,
coming almost a year to the date of her ACL tear.
And then on June 7, she stepped on that same field, but this time for the
National Team. It was a heartwarming moment. An almost two-year journey had
brought her back to play for the USA in front of her home fans.
“Gosh, it’s so fun to play with this team,” Rodriguez said following the
USA’s 1-0 win against China in Utah. “I’ve been out a year with my ACL tear
and to be back on the pitch, wearing the red, white and blue and supporting
my team. I just wanted to get my legs back under me and just help the team
solidify the win.”
Behind the scenes, being an elite athlete come with a grueling lifestyle.
There are long training days, constant travel and non-stop dedication that
a player must have to reach the top. There many ups and downs and Rodriguez
has faced them all, all the while managing it with patience, class and a
smile on her face.
“Tonight, was everything I remembered, but it also meant so much more
because of the uphill battle I faced last year with the injury,” she said.
“It’s never easy to come back. You never know what kind of player you’re
going to be or if you’ll be as good as you once were. I put a lot of tears
and sweat into this, and I was just happy to be back on the field.”
An incredible journey by an incredible woman. The soccer world is a better
place when A-Rod is back in action.