Trinity Rodman speaks out on Washington Spirit future amid WSL & DC Power talks after 'underperforming' in NWSL final defeat

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has stressed that the league will do everything in their power to retain Rodman's services. "We want Trinity in the NWSL, and we will fight for her," Berman said in the NWSL Final presser earlier in the week as the league strives to retain their star player.

The Spirit were in action against Gotham FC, but fell to a 1-0 loss on Saturday as Rose Lavelle's 80th minute winner proved the difference at PayPal Park in San Jose. Rodman didn't start the match owing to an MCL injury to her right knee, yet featured from the bench with a little over half hour to go. When asked about her knee, the Spirit forward admitted it "felt great" but later commented that she wasn't at full strength.

And it showed as Rodman struggled to make an impact as she failed to get a shot off during his second half cameo. It was a performance eerily similar to last season's NWSL showpiece event as the Spirit fell to a 1-0 defeat to Orlando Pride, as Rodman struggled with a back problem in the narrow loss.

Speaking after the NWSL final defeat, Rodman admitted that she "definitely underperformed" as attention turns to her future with the Spirit.

Referring to the amount of playing time she had in the lead up to Saturday's defeat to Gotham FC, Rodman said: "I think naturally only having nine minutes going into a final is not ideal. As much as I don't want to admit it, I still don't feel like I was my full self tonight, which sucks.

"I feel like this is the second year I've gone to a final not I feeling myself. So it just makes me sad. But yeah, for me, I was just trying to go out there and do what I could. I definitely underperformed."

After the match, Rodman walked over to the far side of PayPal Park, where she and her boyfriend, tennis sensation Ben Shelton, held each other in a long embrace. "It was sad, and I feel like you obviously have your team the entire year, but sometimes you just need your outside supporters and Ben is that for me.

"So I was just crying. I'm sad. It sucks and it's not just we lost a soccer game. It's all the work we put into it and it's nice to get that reward at the end, but at the end of the day we can still celebrate because we did so much."

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With attention now on Rodman's future with the Spirit, the forward was asked whether loss to Gotham FC would influence her decision, to which she replied: "No, every team loses."

DC Power, who play in the USL, does not use a salary cap or player draft, which gives clubs full power over squad building and allows all players to become free agents when their contracts expire. By comparison, the NWSL's hard cap means wages are restricted to $3.3m per team for 2026, and not expected to reach $5m until 2030, which limits how many teams can offer players in negotiations.

Commissioner Berman has defended the cap, however, and highlighted the NWSL's growth in recent years, stating: "The NWSL has raised the salary cap tremendously in the last four seasons, almost quadrupled in the last four years."

The outcome of Rodman's contract decision could influence contract negotiations for American players in the future. US stars Alyssa Thompson and Naomi Girma both moved to WSL champions Chelsea from Angel City and San Diego Wave, respectively, earlier this year, while Lindsey Heaps transferred to French side Lyon from the Portland Thorns back in 2022.

And with lucrative offers available elsewhere, Rodman's offer of a move to DC Power will again bring the NWSL's salary cap under the spotlight amidst the possibility that one of the league's star performers could depart for a bigger contract elsewhere.

The Power and the Spirit both share training facilities owned by MLS giants DC United, and a move to the former from the latter would see Rodman remain in the same market but move to a different league entirely.