NWSL vows to 'fight' to keep Trinity Rodman in league - ESPN

SAN JOSE, Calif. — NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said Thursday that the NWSL is prepared to do what it takes to keep Washington Spirit and United States forward Trinity Rodman in the league.

«We want Trinity in our league and we will fight for her,» Berman said in her annual State of the League address.

ESPN reported last Saturday that Rodman has received multiple offers from England. A source with knowledge of the contract talks concerning Rodman confirmed to ESPN that the Spirit forward also has an offer on the table from a team in the USL Super League that is worth far more than what the NWSL can match.

The highest known annual salary in the NWSL is for Portland Thorns FC forward Sophia Wilson, which she signed in March of 2024.

Rodman told reporters on Thursday that she will decide on her future after the Saturday's NWSL Championship, where the Spirit play Gotham FC.

«Genuinely speaking, I've made no decisions,» Rodman said. «Yeah, there could be conversations being had, but right now I am so excited to be representing the Spirit. I'm not even thinking of when my last game will be. I just want to win it and then we'll see.»

The push to sign Rodman comes amid a broader discussion about increasing the NWSL salary cap. There is concern that the salary cap is resulting in some of the league's top players leaving the NWSL for clubs abroad, especially in England and France.

The NWSL raised the cap earlier this year by $200,000 per team to a total of $3.5 million for each team. That follows increases to the cap in each of the past four seasons, with Berman noting that the cap has almost quadrupled in the past four years. But Berman, while expressing a desire to raise the salary cap, was noncommittal about whether that