Why Trinity Rodman should make the move to Europe — and get paid what she's worth
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With the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season comes free agency for Trinity Rodman — a predicament for the U.S. circuit and opportunity for its most popular player. The electrifying but oft-injured winger enters free agency for the first time since turning pro in 2021 and, a year later, signing the largest contract in NWSL history.
She will have multiple options. The choice, though, is crystal clear: Go to Europe, Trin.
The NWSL fostered her development from raw, 18-year-old athlete with no college experience into a skilled and exciting 23-year-old Olympic gold medalist with three championship appearances in five seasons. For that, she should be forever grateful.
It’s time, though, to move on. She needs to put her career — and her bank account — first.
Lucrative offers from the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Lyonnes — without the need for a transfer fee — are sure to flow this winter. Unlike the NWSL, there are no salary caps in Europe.
Her NWSL club, the Washington Spirit, and its domestic rivals won’t be able to add enough zeros at the end of the contract. The U.S. men’s league, Major League Soccer, gets around the salary cap through its Designated Player Rule, known informally as the Beckham Rule, instituted in 2007 to accommodate David Beckham’s lucrative pact. It paved the way for others to elevate the league, most notably Lionel Messi.
On short notice, is the NWSL prepared to approve the Rodman Rule?
“We want Trinity in our league,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said last week, “and we will fight for her.”
How exactly Berman and Spirit owner Michele Kang plan to do that is unclear.
Aside from European options, Rodman also reportedly received an unspecified offer from D.C. Power FC, a member of the new USL Super League that, like the Spirit, plays at Audi Field. But that comes across as a publicity stunt (by Power FC) and a bargaining chip (for Team Rodman). Power FC’s overture is ambitious, but in its infancy, the Super League doesn’t have close to the level of competition to entice a player of Rodman’s talent.
Europe offers money and the proper platform. Rodman’s expiring deal pays her $281,000 in base salary; Spanish superstar Aitana Bonmatí earns a reported $1.1 million from FC Barcelona.
At 23, Rodman is at a prime age to strike a major deal — even more so because of her injury history. Five years from now, her chronic back problems could very well end up contracting her career.
Wary of Rodman’s physical issues, some clubs might rethink the amount it would take to sign her. Others surely will believe they can manage her physical challenges and get the most out of her. It helps to have world-class facilities; the Spirit leases space in an underwhelming complex owned by Major League Soccer’s D.C. United. (Kang has yet to lay out plans for an upgraded place of her own.)
With European women’s soccer ascending, Rodman’s addition to the continental scene would boost not only her new club and league but the sport at large in its most influential environment. She will eat, drink and breathe soccer.
If she departs, Rodman would step away from the world’s best league, top to bottom; the NWSL offers competitive matches every weekend. While Europe has mighty individual clubs at the top of their respective league tables, the quality falls off precipitously.
What Europe can offer that the NWSL cannot is the UEFA Women’s Champions League, which, in its 25th year, is far ahead of CONCACAF’s nascent equivalent. A trophy contender can expect six midweek group matchdays through the fall and knockout phases into the spring before a May final that has steadily grown in popularity.
Beyond soccer, Rodman would have the opportunity to expand her horizons and see the world in a different light. Her boyfriend, Ben Shelton, knows all about that. The Atlanta-born tennis star is on the move almost every week for tournaments around the globe.
No doubt, Rodman’s departure would impact the NWSL and Spirit. Three of the top five NWSL regular-season audiences on ABC/ESPN this year involved her team. Washington’s attendance has grown 40 percent since 2023, to 15,259, third best behind Portland and Angel City. Winning is a big part of it but so is Rodman, whose personality both on and off the field has made her one of the most popular athletes in women’s sports.
Rodman wouldn’t be the first high-profile player to leave — or bypass –— the NWSL. Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson moved to Chelsea this year, following in the footsteps of Lindsey Horan (Lyonnes), Crystal Dunn (Paris Saint-Germain) and Emily Fox (Arsenal), among others. Catarina Macario (Chelsea), Lily Yohannes (Lyonnes) and Korbin Shrader (Lyonnes) went straight overseas.
Signing overseas is not permanent, of course. Many U.S. players have explored and returned. Rodman would, at some point, probably do the same, perhaps after the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
For now, though, she can’t worry about what her absence would mean for the Spirit or NWSL. She has already helped elevate both. Rodman needs to do what’s in her best interests and, from all indications, that means introducing her elegant move, the “Trin Spin,” and her colorful personality to European audiences.
