Rose Lavelle's defining moment, Trinity Rodman, and Jessica Berman's NWSL final weekend.

Rose Lavelle, World Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, finally earned her first NWSL title – and she definitely earned it.

The NWSL Final MVP reached back into her bag of tricks to break the hearts of Washington Spirit supporters for a second straight year. However, for Lavelle, it was less about DC, it was less about her own legacy, and more about how Gotham came together to win the championship after nearly missing the playoffs entirely.

“It’s just so special, this was such a roller coaster of a season for us, we had injuries, we had a really daunting schedule with the amount of games we were playing, the travel, and I just think the way that every single individual stepped up in the way they were asked to, and that was so huge.” Lavelle reflected. “I think that the adversity that we faced throughout the season really set us up to prepare for this playoff push, and prepared us to win it all. I think it was a really big advantage for us in the playoffs.”

Lavelle, Jaelin Howell, and Sarah Schupanksy stifled Washington’s midfield all night long. Howell won 15/20 duels along with 4 interceptions and 5 tackles, no doubt the NWSL Finals MVP if not for Lavelle’s heroics. 

Schupansky’s heads-up play to switch the ball over to the left saw Bruninha running onto the ball into space, freezing the Spirit defense, and then sending a ball to whoever happened to be following up the attack centrally.

A heartbreaking moment for a Spirit squad that was holding on for dear life.

“Bruna did the heavy lifting and just slotted it across. Thank god that worked out,” Lavelle said.

Minutes earlier, Lavelle joked on the CBS post-game that she wasn’t sure if she put the shot on goal – one of the world’s best always seems surprised when her play works out. 

Juan Carlos Amorós did it again…

Gotham aren’t in the position to pull ahead if not for Emily Sonnett laying it all on the line to block Leicy Santos’s 55th minute attempt – Washington’s last attempt of the match until Metayer’s 93rd minute set piece miss.

It was the staunch defensive approach that made the win possible, and a reminder that everything had to go right for a group that won in three straight away from home with an expected goals differential of -1.4 expected goals. 

Much like Banda’s goal last year, Lavelle saved what could have been a broken play as Bruninha’s pass from the left skirted past the second line of Gotham attackers. 

The goal made the difference, and the lasting takeaway from a match that didn’t have many game-changing moments will be JCA’s quick trigger to sub Lilly Reale for Bruninha after Reale narrowly avoided a second yellow card early in the second half. That decision stands out following Adríen Gonzalez’s hesitancy in pulling an injured Hal Hershfelt.

"With Hal's situation, we were receiving information that she wanted to continue,” Gonzalez said. “That she was trying to play through... It is circumstances that we need to learn from. Obviously, now we can say the sub was late."

It’s hard to blame Gonzalez for his hesitancy. Hershfelt was massive in her role anchoring Washington’s midfield, completing multiple crunching tackles, and confidently stepping into the attack without sacrificing Washington’s structure. However, in waiting to make the call, the Spirit went down to 10 players during a period of play where Gotham dominated. 

Then, as Hershfelt attempted to play through, Bruninha’s ball just inched past the defensive midfielder, who was clearly hampered. In a match where Gotham severely limited DC’s chances to the tune of zero shots on target, a moment where a coach’s indecision directly factored into the game winning goal will be over-analyzed. 

There’s no telling if Deborah Abiodun can beat Lavelle to the ball, or even if the switch is available in the first place, but Gotham successfully exploited the situation, and that’s why they are NWSL champions for the second time in three years. 

“A dream come true for everyone, for the players, for the staff, for the club,” Amoros said. “I'm just a guy from a neighborhood in Madrid that loves soccer, and I'm here winning my second championship."

Trinity Rodman.

The whirlwind around Trinity Rodman’s contract status didn’t let up heading into the Championship. Jessica Berman highlighted the league’s parity, pointing to the salary cap as the reason the 8th seed could compete for a title. Refer to last week’s newsletter for why that’s a bunch of hot air. Then, the NWSL was dealt another blow in their negotiating position when Tom Bogert reported that the USL Super League’s DC Power had made an offer above what the Spirit could offer against the cap.

The DC Power bid is purely a marketing stunt with a 0% chance of happening. The club should try hiring a marketing team before it makes unrealistic offers to NWSL stars. However, what the offer does do is show a critical weakness in the NWSL’s salary cap firewall. The NWSL can not compete with the top end of what European clubs can offer, but if a USL Super League side can make that offer, then they really need to go back to the drawing board and lift the cap to a competitive level. 

Rodman’s weekend was one she will want to forget. The loss, combined with a late-game collision that saw the young attacker hit the floor in pain. Another blow to a back that struggled to recover in time this season.

“I need the year to be over.” Rodman quipped in the mixed zone. “To be honest, I need a break and a reset.”

Rodman was especially moved by the loss and sounded like a player who has every intention to return next season.

“I’ve always talked about how great the Spirit Squadron (DC Supporter Group) is, and DC as a whole, and we’re really bummed we couldn’t be having a parade now, going back hopefully they’re still proud and we can try again next year.”

DC fans will be hanging on to that “we”.

“The NWSL received 43 complaints in 2024.”

As NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman preached from the good book of parity, Lesley Ryder and Diana Moskovitz published their findings after filing multiple FOIA requests regarding the NWSL’s recently submitted reports to the Attorneys General.

Their investigation didn’t find specifics, but their investigation did find internal training documents detailing that the NWSL League Safety Officer received 43 complaints in 2024, 20 complaints assigned to its team’s HR director, 14 complaints related to player safety overseen by the LSO, and 9 third-party investigations instigated by the league or an individual club. 

An investigation doesn’t mean that someone committed wrongdoing, but it does point to club environments that have spawned multiple investigations. 9 third-party investigations show that there is strife behind the scenes that would never have been brought into the light if not for the league’s obligation to the Attorneys General of New York, DC, and Illinois. 

The report also detailed five investigations that the league kicked off in 2025, one of which was almost definitely related to Albertin Montoya’s tenure with Bay FC. The league also investigated multiple clubs for toxic workplace environments, “player load and injury concerns”, and potential violations of the fraternization policy. 

In a year when Sean Nahas was fired abruptly midseason for “multiple reasons”, it’s not great that a 14-team league is still dealing with this many investigations. 

Systemically, there has to be more change, but where will that change come from? Leadership has proven time and time again that player safety takes a backseat to commercial revenue. 

When will it be enough?