As the National Women’s Soccer League prepares for its biggest game of the year, the NWSL Championship (8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+), it finds itself in the midst of another high-stakes moment — whether its biggest star can be retained.
Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman is navigating a pivotal moment in her young career. Her 2025 season has been a balancing act of persistent back injury, with an epic comeback, only for a new injury to hamper her playoff status. She’s managed all the highs and lows while operating under the unknown of where she could play next, and now, whether or not this is her last game with the Spirit.
“No, I’m not there at all. And genuinely speaking, like I’ve made no decisions,” Rodman told the media on if she’s thought about this being her last Spirit game.
“Yeah, there could be conversations being had, but right now, like, I am so excited to be representing the Spirit. I’m not even thinking of when my last game will be. But, yeah, I just want to win it [the championship], and we’ll see.”
She’s currently on the last year of her contract, a record-setting deal she signed out of her rookie year that was the first-ever million-dollar deal in NWSL at the time. There’s been plenty of reporting around the increased interest she’s receiving both overseas and even through other competing leagues within the United States.
Along with interest from teams in England, DC Power of the USL Super League is interested and has a contract “significantly larger” than anything the NWSL can currently offer, according to The Athletic. The league is another division one women’s league operating in the U.S., currently in its second year of operation, and operates without a salary cap.
On Thursday, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said in response to offers from competitors that the league “will fight” to keep Rodman in the league, and the player was moved by the sentiment but was trying to retain her focus on the championship final.
“I’m honored to have her say that … Really happy about that, but at the same time, like, I don’t want to put that pressure on myself, of like, because she said that now I’m like, ‘Oh shoot. Like, I’m trapped.’ But at the same time, I’m focused on this weekend, and that’s really all I can focus on, and then moving forward, that’s when I really have those conversations and tough calls that I need to have,” Rodman said.
The salary cap has rapidly become a point of contention in a year where multiple players have opted to go play overseas. U.S. national team defender Naomi Girma kicked off the transfer flow of players in January, while winger Alyssa Thompson followed during the summer. Defender Emily Fox has played with Arsenal since 2024, and midfielder Catarina Macario turned pro out of Stanford and began her career in France and is now with Chelsea.
The league is bullish on the salary cap as its main mechanism to keep its world-renowned parity. That, to keep a league competitive, means there’s talent across clubs, and not just one or two teams.
“I’m not, like, a vet in the league, like, there’s only so much I can say,” Rodman shared about retaining talent across the league. “It’s grown so much year to year, so I’m grateful for that. And even a position that I’m in, and the pay that I’m getting already is more than a lot of players, so there’s only so much I can speak to, and those are conversations my agents are having. So for me, my focus is on the field. There’s only so much I can speak on. Obviously, players want to get paid as much money as they possibly can. So, if that can grow, that’d be amazing. But at the same time, the league is slowly but surely growing every single year.”
Whether or not the salary cap is an appropriate mechanism for the league, its clubs, and players to navigate retention and talent, for Rodman, it’s a complex balance with the league she’s been with since she was 18 years old.
“I mean, I think it’s hard to say. In women’s sports, there’s always this fight for equal pay to get paid more for the work that we do. But again, like, I’m 23 years old, I’m not going to try to completely change the league and fix that, but at the same time, yeah, we’re always going to push and strive for more,” she said.
In the weeks leading up to the end of the season, Rodman has been trying to work her way back from an MCL sprain and be a presence for her team in her limited minutes. She featured off the bench for the Spirit in the semifinal and was a threat on goal even in a brief time on the field. As she looks ahead to the final, she’s just trying to find ways to shut out the noise about her contract status and focus on herself and her teammates.
“I think prioritizing just a little bit of alone time, because I think it’s important, if that’s just listening to music, reading a book, or, I don’t know, just hanging out, taking a nap, just having that time for yourself, I think is important,” Rodman told CBS Sports about managing the chaos around her.
“Being on a team sport, you’re always around them, as much as you love them. Sometimes it’s like, ‘Okay, I need to breathe. I need to just live in the moment and be present.’ So that’s important. And then also, managing time with family, boyfriend, whatever, and then also coming back. Being able to have Ben [Shelton] here this week has been amazing for me.”
Rodman leaning on her pro tennis boyfriend isn’t new; the two have split time supporting each other at their respective sporting events. Sharing the spotlight has been helpful, especially with decisions looming on the horizon.
“He’s just telling me that I’m the driver in this situation, and in life, and that I control whatever I want, and yeah, God is great,” she said.
The Washington Spirit will face Gotham FC on Saturday for the 2025 NWSL Championship. Rodman last won the championship with the Spirit in 2021 during her rookie season. All eyes will be on her whether she starts or features off the bench, as it could be her final game in the NWSL if she decides to leave.
