The Trinity Rodman standstill and what Haley Carter brings to DC.

The National Women’s Soccer League is, once again, staring down a precipice.

A new round of uncertainty as the Trinity Rodman saga took an abrupt turn this week. In the aftermath of NWSL execs touting that the league would do everything within the rules to keep the USWNT star in the league. Rodman reportedly came to a contract agreement with the Washington Spirit. Good news? Well, until NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman vetoed the contract for “violating the spirit of the rules”. 

Reportedly, the contract would make Rodman the highest paid player in the league, but NWSL took issue with the backloaded nature of the deal. Rodman’s camp, the Spirit, and the NWSLPA all claim that the contract would have been legal within the CBA, but somewhere there appears to be a disconnect. The NWSL claims an attempt at salary cap circumvention, but backloaded contracts aren’t unique in the NWSL, while Burke claims the contract was well within the expected salary cap throughout the life of the deal.

“Trinity Rodman agreed to a compensation structure in good faith that would allow her to remain loyal to her first professional club, consistent with both the CBA and NWSL Competition Rules," NWSLPA Executive Director Meghanne Burke said in a statement Thursday. 

The NWSLPA, on behalf of Rodman and the Spirit, has filed a grievance against the league for striking down the deal. The NWSL has 14 days to respond, and if no resolution is reached, the dispute will be brought to an independent arbiter. 

Burke appeared on Sam Mewis’s The Women’s Game podcast to dive deeper into the NWSLPA’s position on the standstill.

“Trinity is one of the most marketable players in the world,” Burke said. “If NWSL can interfere with the free agency rights of Trinity Rodman, they can do it to anybody, and [NWSLPA] won’t stand for that.”

The bottom line is, the job of the league office isn’t to stop clubs from handcuffing themselves with deals that take up a large percentage of the salary cap. There is no max contract in the NWSL, and for the NWSL to be able to compete with the top Champions League clubs, they must allow these creative structures… or just raise the cap more aggressively to compete. The league can’t afford to keep losing its star USWNT players… especially when Rodman wants to stay in DC. Letting Rodman walk for free because ownership groups across the league are offended by the offer is a sign that the league is giving up on being able to compete with the Chelseas, Arsenals, OLs of the world. 

Owners are cutting off their nose to spite their face. Top talent staying in the league benefits everyone. If the NWSL wants to continue touting how it’s the “best league in the world”, then they need to be able to offer competitive salaries to the best players in the world... Especially when the offers are well within the rules provided in the CBA. 

The NWSLPA has to continue this fight, even if the Rodman deal is ultimately axed. This wage manipulation will affect every player, and in a global soccer market, players will continue to leave if they can be paid better elsewhere. The league may keep some stars who don’t want to disrupt their lives to move overseas, but as the NSL soars, as Liga MX experiences record growth, and USL Super League teams are offering better deals – as unrealistic as DC Power’s Rodman offer ultimately was – the NWSL will continue to face historic competition for players. 

The league can keep its salary cap, but it has to be increased as more global football powerhouses wake up to the growth of the women’s game. In a league that’s accepting $200 million expansion fees, where is that money going if not to invest in the players that have made the league?

Maybe it’s an offer Michele Kang and the Spirit Front Office knew would be struck down, but it’s an offer that has many implications for the health of the league. 

Haley Carter signs in DC

It’s no coincidence that Rodman’s salary negotiations went nuclear in the same week that Washington announced the signing of former Orlando Pride Sporting Director Haley Carter. Carter was the architect of the current Pride powerhouse, laying down the groundwork in 2023 before making the big splash on Barbra Banda in 2024. It was Carter who went to bat for Banda time and time again, and it was Carter who broke the NWSL transfer record this summer in acquiring Jacquie Ovalle from Tigres. 

Carter has quickly grown into a top exec in the NWSL, and joining the Spirit shows how serious Kang has become in her pursuit of an NWSL Cup. Now, she will oversee GM Nathan Minion, who took over as interim earlier this year, working on the acquisition of Sophia Cantore and making the decision to appoint Adrián González as the full-time manager. 

This is a high-end move for a program that wants to be at the pinnacle of the sport across all levels. Now, it’s all eyes on the next move in the Rodman saga. 

The Orlando side of that equation doesn't look quite so optimistic.

Carter brought in a period of unprecedented success for a club that had a single playoff appearance in 2017 before the title-winning campaign last season. Can the Pride find a Sporting Director who will continue Carter's legacy, including her staunch support of Barbra Banda? That isn't a problem for next season, the roster is good, and signing Hailie Mace from KC raises the club's floor heading into a season where Barbra Banda will return to the lineup.

The Pride needs an SD that can reinforce Seb Hines's vision and – eventually – replace an icon when Marta decides to hang up her boots... if that day ever comes.

Next week, the woso newsletter will return to talk about clubs hitting the ground running in free agency and what to make of the recent managerial moves throughout the league. Sign up for that and more from a busy weekend that will include my thoughts on the World Cup draw and some St. Louis soccer news coming down the pike. Thank you for reading.