The Washington Spirit are locked in to play for the 2025 NWSL championship, but forward Trinity Rodman's future in the league beyond the last game of the season is now up in the air. Rodman has been fielding offers from European clubs for months, and with her Spirit contract set to expire in a month, there's no telling where the USWNT star will end up.
Earlier in the year, Rodman told ESPN that she'd previously considered playing somewhere other than the United States in her career.
“[I] always thought about playing overseas at some point in my career,” she said then. “It's just a matter of when.”
Now, however, Rodman's tune has slightly changed as she focuses on the Spirit's task at hand — taking on Gotham FC for the NWSL title.
“Right now, my head’s completely down, and it’s been so distracting being injured, and that’s all I can really think about,” Rodman said on Saturday, addressing the reports of her potential departure. “Once we get this championship, then I can start making decisions and figuring out what next year looks like for me.”
The major problem comes from the NWSL's salary cap, set at $3.5 million per team, which is keeping the league from offering Rodman a deal that could financially rival the ones she's receiving from overseas. A spokesperson from the league sent ESPN a statement explaining the NWSL's planned course of action.
“The league is doing everything we can to keep Trinity in the NWSL. She's an excellent player and an important part of our league,” a league spokesperson said.
“The salary cap, which has increased significantly in the past five years, is a critical part of our competitive framework and one of the reasons last weekend's quarterfinals were as great as they were. Anyone can win any day,” the statement read.
Rodman recently returned from a month-long absence due to an MCL sprain when she subbed in late to the Spirit's 2-0 semifinal win over the Portland Thorns. Washington will play in its second-straight NWSL championship on Saturday against Gotham FC.
