The Washington Spirit are set to make their second consecutive look on Saturday. All eyes shall be on availability for the title match and past.
Rodman is about to grow to be a free agent after the 2025 NWSL season concludes with the title match between the No. 2 seed Spirit and No. 8 Gotham FC on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, FOX) at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. Though NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman stated: “We wish Trinity (Rodman) in our league and we are going to struggle for her” on Thursday, it stays to be seen if the NWSL can compete with the salaries supplied by European leagues abroad.
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Might the the NWSL championship be Rodman’s final in a Spirit jersey? Will Rodman be the following American soccer star to go away the NWSL for Europe, following the departures of Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma?
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2025: Washington Spirit (Problem Cup winner)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2025: Washington Spirit (Problem Cup winner)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2024: Orlando Delight (defeated Washington Spirit within the 2024 NWSL Championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2023: NJ/NY Gotham FC (defeated OL Reign within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2023: North Carolina Braveness (Problem Cup winner)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2022: Portland Thorns FC (defeated Kansas Metropolis Present within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2022: North Carolina Braveness (Problem Cup winner)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2021: Washington Spirit (defeated Chicago Purple Stars within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2021; Portland Thorns FC (Problem Cup winner)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2020: Houston Sprint (Problem Cup winner)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2019: North Carolina Braveness (defeated Chicago Purple Stars within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2018: North Carolina Braveness (defeated Portland Thorns FC within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2016: Western New York Flash (defeated Washington Spirit within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2015: FC Kansas Metropolis (defeated Seattle Reign FC within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2014: FC Kansas Metropolis (defeated Seattle Reign FC within the championship recreation)
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NWSL champions by way of the years
2013: Portland Thorns FC (defeated Western New York Flash within the championship recreation)
As questions swirl about Rodman’s future, the 23-year-old stated she’s specializing in the current, recovering from a Grade 1 MCL sprain suffered on Oct. 15 amid an injury-riddled season.
“Proper now, my head’s utterly down. It’s been so distracting being injured and that’s all I can actually take into consideration,” Rodman Nov. 15 following the Spirit’s 2-0 semifinal win over the Portland Thorns. “As soon as we get this championship, then I can begin making choices and determining what subsequent 12 months seems to be like for me.”
Rodman made her first look of the 2025 postseason throughout the Spirit’s semifinal win, subbing in on the ninetieth minute. She nearly scored throughout the ninety fifth minute, however her shot narrowly missed large. Rodman had been listed as questionable for the quarterfinals and did not play within the Spirit’s win over Racing Louisville FC regardless of being listed as a reserve.
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“It is vital to get these minutes to see (and) to really feel that you’re a participant once more on the sphere,” Spirit coach Adrián González stated on Nov. 15. “We did not need to take an excessive amount of danger clearly by way of minutes, however I believe she’s been doing an ideal job attempting to push restoration and having the ability now to have the chance to get some minutes.”
Rodman was the youngest participant to be drafted into the NWSL when the Spirit chosen her second total within the 2021 NWSL school draft. Rodman not solely led the Spirit to the membership’s first NWSL title in 2021, she ended her first season with NWSL Rookie of the 12 months and first-team honors.
Rodman signed a contract extension in February 2022 with the Spirit by way of the 2024 season with an possibility for 2025. It was reported Rodman’s contract extension included , making her the best paid participant in NWSL historical past on the time.
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In her annual state of the league tackle on Thursday, Berman stated she’s open to elevating the wage cap to retain prime expertise however famous it have to be finished in sustainable method. The present NWSL wage cap is about at $3.5M per group for the 2026 season and can develop to $5.1M by 2030, in line with the
“We don’t consider the NWSL is a charity. We consider it’s a enterprise, and with the intention to deal with it like a enterprise, it implies that the quantity that our groups are investing has to have a rational relationship to income,” Berman stated. “After we undergo that technique of reviewing the general ecosystem and the worth proposition that we’re providing to prime expertise and to our gamers, and we’re trying on the quantity being invested in coaching amenities, in stadiums, in compensation for gamers, we’ve to take a look at it within the context of the place our enterprise is at.”
Washington Spirit ahead Trinity Rodman (2) dribbles the ball within the second half towards the Kansas Metropolis Present at CPKC Stadium.
Rodman reiterated on Thursday that she’s made “no choices” on her future but.
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“Yeah, there might be conversations being had, however proper now I’m so excited to be representing the Spirit,” Rodman added throughout championship media day on Thursday. “I am not even considering of when my final recreation shall be. I simply need to win it after which we’ll see.”
The Spirit must undergo Gotham FC within the 2025 NWSL Championship. Gotham might have entered the playoffs because the No. 8 seed, however they have been on a Cinderella run and performed their method into the title match. They’ve a chip on their shoulder after being labeled the underdogs of the playoffs.
“I really feel like everybody as people play so a lot better once they’re actually assured and we’ve one thing to play for and one thing to show,” stated Gotham midfielder Jaedyn Shaw, who has scored two playoff objectives and assisted on one other within the postseason. “So I imply, if that is the place we’re getting it from, then shoot, we’ll preserve saying it. We’ll preserve doing what we have to do, as a result of haters going to be wherever we’re and meaning we’re doing one thing proper.”
The Spirit are vying for his or her first title since 2021. Gotham is in search of its first championship since 2023.
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