SAO PAULO, Brazil — It had been 604 days. That number came up in Wednesday morning’s media availability, casually dropped by a reporter as a way to frame just how long it had been since Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson last shared a field for the United States Women’s National Team. The last time was August 9, 2024 for the Olympic gold medal match in Paris. Against Brazil.
Now, nearly two years later, they were back in the same room, back in the same camp, back together again. And in a fitting twist, it was Brazil waiting for them once more.
The three players known collectively as Triple Espresso met with media virtually from Sao Paulo ahead of the USWNT’s two-match series against the host nation. What followed was a half-hour window into what this reunion feels like from the inside: the joy of having your sisters back, the weight of being away from newborns for the first time, and the quiet confidence of a group that knows exactly who they are together.
‘Having My Sisters Back’
For Rodman, who had navigated the program without Wilson and Swanson since the gold medal match while also managing her own injury return with the Washington Spirit, the reunion was personal before it was tactical.
“I’m very happy. I’m very excited to have them back, especially off the field. Their personalities are amazing to have in camp, and just like having my sisters back is amazing. And then on the field, I just feel like our connection is so good.” — Trinity Rodman
That connection, forged across years of high-pressure international football, does not appear to have faded with time. Rodman said getting back on the field with them had already felt natural, and she was eager to keep building on it as the series progressed.
Wilson, for her part, acknowledged that the team had changed significantly during the window she and Swanson were away on maternity leave. But she said the program had done its part to make the transition seamless.
“The team has done a lot in the time that Mal and I have been gone, but they’ve done a really good job of making sure that we are getting caught up and feel like when we come back into camp like we haven’t missed a beat and can kind of just get back on the ground and flying.” — Sophia Wilson
The Name That Followed Them to Brazil
The Triple Espresso nickname first surfaced in 2024 and took on a life well beyond the locker room. Reporters noted Wednesday that even Brazilian media had started using it in the lead-up to the series, which prompted a smile from all three.
Asked how each of them has navigated the balance between the collective identity and their individual games, Wilson offered the most direct answer.
“I feel like it’s a fun name among everyone. I feel like we do a good job of like keeping our own identity and like being individuals and bringing what makes us unique to the field, while also playing really well together and having that chemistry.” — Sophia Wilson
Swanson and Rodman both nodded in agreement. The name, they made clear, was never something manufactured. It happened, it stuck, and now it travels internationally. They are fine with that.
Emma Hayes, Check-Ins and the Art of Coming Back
Head coach Emma Hayes had spoken earlier in the week about her practice of maintaining regular contact with players throughout extended absences. The goal, as she framed it, was to ensure that when players returned to camp, the gap felt smaller.
Rodman addressed that directly, and her answer said as much about the program’s culture as it did about Hayes as a coach.
“It makes you feel more included when you’re gone, not as isolated from the team. Emma does a really good job at not putting pressure or too many expectations on us when we come back in. She takes it very slow and doesn’t give us too much responsibility, and kind of just lets us get our feet under us again. It’s really amazing to see just the trust she has in us to figure it out quickly, but also just the patience as well.” — Trinity Rodman
The Miles That Separate
The emotional undercurrent of the session surfaced most clearly when Wilson and Swanson were asked about navigating camp without their infants. Both players welcomed daughters within the past year. Baby Josie and Baby Gigi remain home, with their respective fathers, while their mothers prepare to face one of the best teams in the world.
Wilson, who described having spent every waking moment with her daughter over the past several months, did not sugarcoat how that absence feels.
“It’s definitely an adjustment. It’s the hours where you’re not busy — it gets tough. But their dads are getting very good quality time with them, and they’re loved and well taken care of. There are several parents in this group, staff also, who are away from their kids and babies, and I feel like we all just have this unspoken bond that it’s tough, and you just have to get through the days — but also enjoy it, because it is a small amount of time.” — Sophia Wilson
The session moderator noted that even Hayes is navigating this camp without her son, adding another layer to the shared understanding that runs through the group.
Brazil, the World Cup and the Stakes That Make It Matter
These are friendlies in name. In context, they are something more. The USWNT has not officially qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Brazil. Playing in Sao Paulo and Fortaleza now means playing in two stadiums they could be back in next summer.
Wilson, who has experienced the pre-tournament camp environment before, spoke to why that context makes this trip different from a routine trip abroad.
“Anytime we can be in an environment that replicates what it’s going to look like in a world tournament is very important, because there’s so many factors that you maybe don’t think about. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. In a country that lives and breathes soccer, football, I think it’s so great for us. It’s going to be a different kind of challenge, obviously Brazil is an amazing team on the field, and then you add in all the outside factors that come with it.” — Sophia Wilson
Rodman offered the clearest tactical window of the three, noting early in the session that controlling possession and limiting dead ball situations would be central to how the U.S. approaches both matches.
“Brazil is always a really hard opponent. For us, I think the biggest thing is controlling the game. They’re really good on the mind side, they’re good at getting set pieces and throw-ins and getting the ball out of bounds. Being able to take the control and have it in play and kind of dictate things will be important.” — Trinity Rodman
When one of the journalists later asked all three players for specifics on dangerous opponents and what they had studied on tape, Rodman kept her cards firmly on the table. She acknowledged the collective quality of the Brazilian squad, declined to name anyone specifically, and made clear she was not about to hand over anything resembling a scouting report to a room that included home country media.
One More Moment: A Commercial, a Knicks Fan and Jude Bellingham
The session ended on a lighter note, with a reporter asking Rodman about her appearance in a FIFA World Cup commercial alongside Timothy Chalamet, Jude Bellingham and Lamine Yamal. It was, by most measures, one of the higher-profile moments of her offseason.
“Obviously, being a woman in a commercial during the men’s World Cup, I think is huge, and to be a part of that, I’m honored. It’s insane and it still is like mind blowing that I was involved in it. That little moment in the back seat was pretty funny as well, and I think Timothy was like the perfect person to kind of make that funny and not awkward.” — Trinity Rodman
Up Next
The USWNT faces Brazil twice in this series. The first match takes place in Sao Paulo, with the second scheduled in Fortaleza. For information on upcoming USWNT fixtures, visit ussoccer.com.