Trinity Rodman negotiations reach NWSL commissioner as English teams express interest in U.S. star
Trinity Rodman’s representation is in negotiation with the National Women’s Soccer League over her future in the league, as interest from teams abroad continues. While the Washington Spirit would like to retain Rodman, the talks are currently beyond the club’s control due to existing roster constraints, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The 23-year-old will be a free agent this offseason.
Rodman’s agent has spoken directly to commissioner Jessica Berman about deals to keep her stateside; however, one of the key points of contention is the player’s salary. Under the current salary cap, teams outside of the league can offer far more than the Spirit — or any NWSL team. Rodman’s team has had talks with at least three teams in the English Women’s Super League, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The Spirit declined to comment, and the NWSL did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
The NWSL operates under a salary cap, currently set at $3.3 million at each club. That maximum will rise every season until it hits $5.1 million in 2030, in accordance with the most recent collective bargaining agreement between the NWSL Players Association and the league.
While the minimum player salary for this season is $48,500 and will rise to $82,500 by 2030, there is no maximum salary for an individual player. Still, the Spirit currently has 27 players’ salaries to cover (with three players on loan), whereas teams in Europe do not have to abide by such caps.
After her breakout rookie season in 2021, Rodman signed a three-year contract extension with an option for a fourth year, which was exercised this year. In 2022, the deal, worth $1.1 million, made the then 19-year-old the highest-paid player in the league at the time.
Rodman told ESPN’s Futbol W at the start of the season that she has “always thought about playing overseas at some point” in her career. The Spirit’s owner, Michele Kang, owns multiple teams across the U.S. and Europe, including OL Lyoness and London City Lionesses and considers herself a “globalist” when it comes to player movement, but has made it clear that keeping Rodman has been a top priority.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to hopefully keep her here,” Kang told reporters in March. “She’s an integral part of our success, our success meaning the Spirit as well as NWSL.”
Trinity Rodman was a key goalscorer in the USWNT’s gold medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Daniela Porcelli / Getty Images)
Multiple U.S. players have made the move to Europe this season, including defender Naomi Girma and former Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson, both of whom went to Chelsea. While it isn’t the only draw, the ability for overseas teams to pay higher salaries is a factor in the growing global market.
In March, Kang ruled out a loan for Rodman to one of the other teams in her multi-club investment company, Kynisca Sports International, but said that players should experience different types of soccer throughout their career.
“The European players should actually go at some point to experience the American football or different football. The same thing with the American football players as well,” Kang said. “Experiencing different styles, different leagues, it’s actually a good thing.”
The Spirit selected Rodman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, and the teenager had an instant impact. She was named rookie of the year in 2021, recording seven goals and seven assists, including one to Kelley O’Hara against the Chicago Stars to secure the team’s first NWSL Championship title.
Before her time in NWSL, Rodman was a standout for the U.S. youth national team, scoring nine goals in the team’s successful 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship. She has been equally as impactful for the senior national team. Rodman has 11 goals and nine assists in 47 games with the U.S. women’s national team. She was one-third of the publicly-branded “triple espresso,” alongside Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson, who led the U.S. to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rodman has spent much of this season dealing with injuries, first with a persistent back problem that limited her to 15 appearances and nine starts through 26 regular-season games.
Upon her return in October, she sprained her MCL during a Concacaf Champions Cup match, keeping her out of the Spirit’s final two games of the season. She was on the bench for Washington’s penalty kick shootout win over Racing Louisville in the NWSL quarterfinals last week, but never changed out of her warm-ups, instead helping guide players from the sideline.
Still, she has been impactful for the Spirit, playing a contributing role to Washington securing the No. 2 spot in the NWSL standings. She has been impactful for the NWSL as a whole in terms of marketing, too, and was recently the only U.S. player featured in an Adidas campaign for the 2026 men’s World Cup.
Rodman participated in full training on Friday ahead of today’s semifinal match at Audi Field between the Spirit and the Portland Thorns.
