The Spirit and other NWSL teams cannot compete financially with the offers Rodman receives from European clubs, which are not limited by a salary cap and can offer significantly higher salaries. The current NWSL salary cap is $3.5 million per team for a squad of up to 26 players. Rodman, 23 years old, is one of the most recognized figures in the league and one of the most outstanding American players. Recently, Rodman suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain on October 15 and hasn’t played since. However, she is available on the bench for the Spirit’s semifinal against the Portland Thorns. A spokesperson for the NWSL issued a statement highlighting the importance of the salary cap for the league’s competitiveness and assured that the league is doing everything possible to keep Rodman in the NWSL. The NWSL’s salary cap will gradually increase to $5.1 million by 2030, according to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement signed last year. The largest annual increase, from 2026 to 2027, coincides with the elimination of team-provided housing and the expectation that players will be compensated more directly. Changes to the salary cap may be made within the collective bargaining agreement. The base salary cap each year could increase from shared revenues, as happened this year, when the original cap of $3.3 million increased to $3.5 million. The agreement also states that the NWSL, in consultation with the NWSL Players Association, may increase the salary cap in any year or “reduce or eliminate the Salary Cap charge against the Team Salary Cap for certain roster classifications”. The language of this last clause opens the possibility for the NWSL to create a rule to pay outstanding players outside the salary cap, like the MLS Designated Player rule. The NWSL has already suffered the loss of another young American star, Alyssa Thompson, who joined Chelsea in September.I’ve always thought about playing abroad at some point in my career, it’s just a matter of when.
Trinity Rodman
