The fallout from Trinity Rodman’s deal. Plus: Musings from London

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Take a moment to hold your community close. In today’s Full Time:

💰 Trinity Rodman’s record deal

🇺🇸 USWNT’s statement win

⚽ Latest international competition

We will get to last week’s Rodman news, I promise. But first, please indulge me for a moment while I share a musing from my recent trip to our London office …

Travel Diaries

Everyone’s at the LCL match

Someone once told me, “Soccer is a global game but a small world.” It was the best reminder I’ve received in this business.

Days after Rodman signed her record deal to stay with one Michele Kang team in the NWSL, former Portland Thorns captain Sam Coffey made her debut for Manchester City against another Kang team.

I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time on Hayes Lane to witness the moment as Man City defeated the London City Lionesses 2-1. Even better, I caught up with Coffey’s parents after they watched their daughter realize a dream. The game is global, with each player choosing what’s best for them, but indeed a small world willing to foster a truly special community (thanks for the ride to the train, Mr. and Mrs. Coffey!).

I wasn’t the only one in Bromley yesterday afternoon.

In addition to the number of NWSL alumni on the pitch, the hospitality suite at Copperjax Community Stadium was a who’s who of women’s football. Arsenal’s Beth Mead (who had a great game of her own Saturday) and Mariona Caldentey sat a few rows in front of Barcelona’s Patri Guijarro and Alexia Putellas. Chelsea’s Ellie Carpenter and Alyssa Thompson were also there. The one player I was expecting to see in the stands, new LCL signing Delphine Cascarino, sat a few seats over from me.

More: The Chelsea and Arsenal players were suitemates yesterday, but they were opponents Saturday when Arsenal proved Chelsea, who have won the last six league titles, are beatable.

While I’m sure Kang and the front office would love to be linked with any one of the above combinations, London City did a good job holding their own against the probable league champions, only conceding a late goal in the 86th minute to City’s top goal scorer, Bunny Shaw.

As the only independent women’s team in England’s top division, the Lionesses always had a tall hill to climb in their first year in the WSL. Possibly more impressive than their on-field performance was the record 3,418 in attendance, creating an amazing atmosphere.

Rodman Remains

Spirit star agrees to record NWSL deal

By now, you probably know Rodman signed a record three-year contract to stay with the Washington Spirit last Thursday. While many will take credit for getting a deal done, I wrote about the unsung involvement of the Spirit fans and a rare moment of investment and community coming together.

On the contract, Rodman’s agent told us the annual salary is more than $2 million a year, making her the highest-paid women’s soccer player in the world (though that’s been disputed by people familiar with Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati’s contract). I asked our fellow newsletter writers what they thought of the deal to really gauge the impact outside of women’s soccer:

💬 “Didn’t know much about the saga but just read into it. Few stars in NFL history had such a monumental win for the players. Closest that comes to mind for me is Reggie White’s class action lawsuit, which led to the modern version of the league’s free agency.” — Jacob Robinson, Scoop City

💬 “To me, the news is both great and maddening. Even the thought that she would be barred from signing a deal she deserves, and thus being lost to richer teams abroad, was just silly. Growth milestone for NWSL.” — Chris Branch, The Pulse

There’s no denying this is a win for the NWSL after seeing multiple U.S. players choose to go abroad. But Rodman’s signature wasn’t the end of a saga, and rather just an inflection point. We’ll explain …

A league and players association at odds

Rodman’s deal did not end the debate over the NWSL’s new High Impact Player rule, which has been colloquially called the Rodman Rule. It was implemented on Dec. 23 to the dismay of the players association. Spirit president of soccer operations Haley Carter, who helped orchestrate Rodman’s deal, believes the HIP rule will evolve.

Before we get into the nuance here, it’s important to note that the outcome of any arbitration or adjustments will not impact Rodman’s salary. Meghann Burke, the union’s executive director, stressed to The Athletic that the NWSL and Spirit are on the hook to pay Rodman, and how those funds are procured is, essentially, a “them problem.”

Returning now to the issue at hand: The NWSLPA has filed two grievances against the NWSL in the last two months.

The first was filed on Dec. 3 on Rodman’s behalf, as a response to the league rejecting her original deal with the Spirit. The league had denied the union’s claims; the next step would be taking the dispute to a grievance committee and then later to arbitration if no resolution is reached.

The second grievance was filed on Jan. 12 over the implementation of the HIP rule and called for its immediate removal. The NWSL has until today to respond.

The league remains confident its new rule will stand. It is also standing firm by its rejection of Rodman’s original deal. What happens next may be decided within the parameters of the federal labor court, should either grievance reach arbitration.

We hope everyone gets along by the start of the season in *checks notes* 46 days. In the meantime, make sure you are up to date on all things related to Rodman’s deal with our inside story.

Camp Updates

USWNT’s dominant 6-0 win over Paraguay

Keeping on theme with Rodman’s historic week, she featured for the U.S. on Saturday for the first time in 294 days. She scored the fourth of six U.S. goals in the team’s dominant win over Paraguay. Adding to the moment, she donned the captain’s band for the first time and topped it off with an iconic celebration (even if coach Emma Hayes wasn’t into being her dance partner).

Heading into the match, Hayes tempered expectations. The squad is without many of its veteran players, and all players are entering the NWSL preseason. Hayes anticipated the play would look “clunky,” and she was right. The team struggled in its final third in the first 45 minutes, despite outshooting Paraguay. The players’ frustration was visible.

But the U.S. found its rhythm heading into halftime, thanks to a stoppage-time goal by debutant Reilyn Turner. That momentum carried into the second half, which featured five goals in 12 minutes — an Ally Sentnor brace, Rodman’s comeback goal, a goal by Emma Sears and a Paraguayan own goal (forced by Croix Bethune).

We know this camp is about giving less experienced players more exposure and giving more established players, like Rodman, the opportunity to mature as leaders. Hayes pointed to Emily Sams and Claire Hutton as the other leaders in this group. Sams played 90 minutes, and Hutton ended the game as captain following Rodman’s exit not long after scoring. Afterward, Hayes called Hutton “a captain in the making.”

The U.S. closes out the window against Chile tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Watch on TBS/Peacock/HBOMax.)

What to Watch

📺 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup

Jan. 28 and Feb. 1 on DAZN

Governing bodies love to add more international competitions to the calendar, and that’s exactly what the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup is. Arsenal (England), Gotham FC (U.S.), Corinthians (Brazil) and ASFAR (Morocco) are the final four teams remaining, competing for $2.3 million and the title of best club in the world. Kang’s Kynisca — her multi-club ownership group — is also the presenting sponsor, which has raised some eyebrows. Here’s the full schedule (all times Eastern):

Semifinal 1: Gotham FC vs. Corinthians, Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.

Semifinal 2: ASFAR vs. Arsenal, Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Third-place match and final: Sunday at 9:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Emirates Stadium

Full Time First Looks

“Catastrophic” consequences: Not everyone loves the added competition in global soccer. A spokesperson for WSL Football told reporters the league fears the timing of the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, set to kick off in 2028, could be “catastrophic” to WSL teams (who would be midseason during the January tournament). Meanwhile, FIFA chief football officer Jill Ellis has said she is wary of U.S. hypocrisy over the competition potentially being held in Qatar.

Money to spend: Rodman isn’t the only money move the Washington Spirit are making. The NWSL club signed 18-year-old Paraguayan forward Claudia Martinez from Club Olimpia. ESPN reported the transfer fee could be upwards of $900,000.

Cup changes: Some serious changes could be coming to the Women’s League Cup in England. Teams that qualify for the Women’s Champions League will no longer participate in the cup competition, as WSL Football continues to seek innovation in its pyramid.

New hire: The NC Courage have hired Mak Lind as their new head coach, the team announced Saturday. The 37-year-old is now the third head coach to take charge in the team’s nine-year history. That leaves just one NWSL job still open. Looking at you, Portland. Scroll back up for a reminder of how many days until the season kicks off.

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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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