"In Philadelphia I got my confidence back, and I got the enjoyment of the game back," Rodriguez said.
She also got her goal-scoring touch back.
After tallying just one goal in 17 games while making 11 starts as a rookie in Boston, Rodriguez was third in WPS last season with 12 goals while also adding six assists for the Independence. She was the biggest reason the Independence advanced to the championship game before losing, 4-0, to Gold Pride of Northern California, a franchise which has since disbanded.
"When I was in Boston, I wasn't playing [much], and when I was I wasn't playing well, and I wasn't confident," she said. "When I went to Philly I grew so much, and it showed on the field, and I was so happy to have a great year."
The 24-year-old Rodriguez plays different roles for her two teams. With the Independence, coach Paul Riley insists that Rodriguez play close to the goal, more as a target player. With the U.S. team, where prolific scorer Abby Wambach is the target, Rodriguez plays more like a withdrawn forward.
"Her game changed in Philadelphia with Paul Riley and the time she spent in the box," U.S. coach Pia Sundhage said. "She took that confidence to this team and is improving her play tremendously."
Sundhage sees Rodriguez still as a work in progress.
"She is a much better player today than in 2008, but she still has to work on things, especially off the ball," Sundhage said.
Rodriguez has already earned 65 caps with the national team and has scored 17 goals. This is a deep U.S. team, but two-time defending champion Germany remains the favorite.
