Order Up: Triple Espresso Returns

The U.S. Women’s National Team will have an extra boost of energy when it heads to Brazil for a pair of matches against the South American powerhouse.

For the first time in nearly two years, the dominant attacking trio known as “Triple Espresso,” – Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson – return to the USWNT roster together as the USA continues its preparation for World Cup qualification at the 2026 Concacaf W Championship later this year.

The three-player front line not only led the USWNT to its first Olympic gold medal in 12 years, but they charmed the world in the summer of 2024 with their skill, speed and, for Rodman, her pink braids.

As the three players are reunited for the first time in about 22 months, we take a look back at their origins and how they got their name.

The iconic trio currently competes in the NWSL, Rodman for the Washington Spirit, Wilson for Portland Thorns FC and Swanson for Chicago Stars FC. They each joined the USWNT at different points in the last decade, and amazingly, the three shared the field just five times before they started all six matches together at the Paris Olympics.

During the Olympic tournament, Swanson, Rodman and Wilson scored or assisted on 11 of the team’s 12 goals on the way to the gold medal. Their 10 combined goals scored were more than any other nation in the competition. The USA won all three knockout games by 1-0 scorelines, each goal scored by one of the three forwards: Rodman scored the extra time winner against Japan in the quarterfinal, Wilson netted the extra time winner against Germany in the semifinal, and Swanson clinched the victory against Brazil in the gold medal match.

As the tournament wore on and the impact of the players became clear, there was a call from media and fans for a nickname, not an uncommon occurrence for famous “lines” in sports. Think “The Triple Crown Line" for the Los Angeles Kings in the early 80s, the “Purple People Eaters” for the Minnesota Vikings D-line in the 1970s or the USA’s “Triple-Edged Sword” of Carin Gabarra, Michelle Akers and April Heinrichs at the 1991 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Several suggestions emerged from TV commentators and the social media world, but they didn’t click with the players. The nickname “Triple Espresso” actually originated from a suggestion by Rodman’s sister and the players loved it. They revealed the name for the first time on the TODAY Show ahead of the Olympic Final.

“It just felt fitting for us,” Wilson later told CBS Sports. “I feel like we're all a lot of energy. We're all feisty on the field, but we can be sweet. It's a little bit of everything, and also, it's fitting that we all love coffee and drink like, four coffees a day, especially in camp. It just felt right for us.”

The “Triple Espresso” craze was soon put on the shelf, however, as Rodman missed the post-Olympic matches due to injury and Wilson and Swanson announced their pregnancies in early 2025. Both gave birth to baby girls later that year. Wilson returned to the USWNT in April, and the June roster for the matches in Brazil features Swanson for the first time since October of 2024. Rodman has appeared in all eight USWNT matches this year.

Their success in the Olympics was even more impressive considering the limited minutes the trio played together prior to the tournament. The first time all three forwards appeared in the same match was in Rodman’s senior debut on Feb. 17, 2022, when she subbed on for Swanson in the 60th minute. It wasn’t until the 2024 SheBelieves Cup Final when all three shared the field at the same time, and we saw their connection develop with Rodman assisting Wilson’s second goal of the game. In Emma Hayes’ debut as head coach – less than two months before the Olympics – the trio started together for the first time in a 4-0 win over Korea Republic that featured a brace and assist from Swanson. In the 11 games where all three played at the same time, they have never lost (9W-0L-2D).

Rodman is the youngest of the trio at 24 years old and was the latest to join the USWNT. She came up through the Youth National Team ranks and earned 2021 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year before making her senior debut. Along with her recognizable hairstyles that have inspired little girls all over the country, Rodman is known for her fancy footwork – including her signature move, the “Trin Spin” – and entertaining goal celebrations. In the past four years, she has tallied 13 goals and 11 assists in 55 appearances.

In the middle of the pack as far as USWNT debuts is Wilson, the 25-year-old from Windsor, Colorado. Wilson also starred on the Youth National Teams and competed in both the U-17 and U-20 FIFA Women's World Cups. She became the first WNT player born in the 2000s to appear for the senior team after making her debut on Nov. 27, 2020. She has recorded 24 goals and 11 assists in 61 caps, the latest of which came in April when she returned to the team for the first time since the birth of her daughter in August of 2025.

The most tenured of the three is Swanson, who has 103 international appearances under her belt since making her senior debut in January of 2016 following her extensive Youth National Team career. The 28-year-old is one of the top active scorers on the team with 38 goals and 31 assists. In 2016, Swanson was the youngest player on the Olympic roster and became the youngest USWNT player to score in the Olympics. She was a part of the 2019 World Cup championship squad, but unlike Rodman and Wilson, Swanson was not a part of the 2023 World Cup roster after tearing her patella tendon in April of that year. At the time of her injury, she was the USA’s leading scorer and top attacking player. Swanson welcomed her daughter in November of 2025.

Fans can catch “Triple Espresso” and the rest of the USWNT when they take on Brazil on June 6 at Neo Química Arena in São Paulo (5:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. local time on TBS, Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock) and on June 9 at Arena Castelão in Fortaleza (8:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. local time on TNT, Max and Peacock).