Emma Hayes didn't think she'd be dancing with Trinity Rodman so soon after rejecting her first invitation.
Rodman scored against Paraguay in a 6-0 win on Saturday, Jan. 24. After her goal, the U.S. women's national team star went to the sideline and invited her coach to join in with her "Sexy Dexy" dance celebration, popularized by NFL star Dexter Lawrence.
Hayes refused.
"She did it, and I couldn't quite see, then she came over to me," Hayes said after the game on Saturday. "She asked me to mirror it, and I said, 'I'm 49 years of age. There's no chance I'm doing that!'"
But just three days later, Rodman scored another goal. Hayes couldn't say no a second time.
Rodman came off the bench and scored in a 5-0 win over Chile on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The forward immediately ran across the field to her coach, who this time couldn't turn down the dance request.
Hit the celly 💃 pic.twitter.com/yIjnynbaD8
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) January 28, 2026
“[Rodman] said, ‘You are doing it tonight,’” Hayes told TNT after Tuesday's game. "So Tara Rudd has been teaching me. And it went OK and then Trin got upset that she didn't get to teach me."
Rodman entered the game with the U.S. already ahead 4-0. Though Hayes may have thought the scoreline would reduce Rodman's appetite for goals, she was proven wrong just five minutes after the forward's entry.
“I thought, you know what? The game’s comfortable. Trin’s not going to score tonight," Hayes said.
“It’s a crowded box, and the minute she chopped inside, if you’d have seen, if you had panned towards me prior to that, my head was in my hands.
“I was dying. I was dying. But listen, these players keep me young. I’m not complaining."
Emma Hayes wasn't left with much of a choice but to hit the "Sexy Dexy" with Trinity Rodman 💀💃 https://t.co/TalxDtx5ripic.twitter.com/skYamaLFUB
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) January 28, 2026
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USWNT star Trinity Rodman does 'Sexy Dexy' dance with coach Emma Hayes
