Trinity Rodman’s quiet NWSL Championship shows the inconsistencies of star power
As Trinity Rodman stood on the sideline at PayPal Park at the start of Round 56 of the NWSL Championship, it was hard not to notice that she was giving the crowd what they expected. The noise from the sold-out crowd swelled, their biggest cheer of the evening so far audible despite the cacophony that is the signature of a sports broadcast.
Quite simply, she is the star that many have traveled from different parts of the country to see, the star that motivated others to turn on their screens on a Saturday night. Rodman is THE Making headlines in a league full of them, Elite Athlete Commissioner Jessica Berman said the NWSL will “fight” to keep the type of player who poses a new kind of existential questions for a growing league. Rodman is a classic game changer in a match that needed it, still scoreless with about half an hour to play.
But his star power wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t a failure of his creation, really. Gotham FC’s 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday was the result of the eventual NWSL champions’ remarkable ability to crush the opposing defense and render them useless no matter how powerful they were, this time limiting the Spirit to just 0.49 expected goals and zero shots on target despite having Gift Monday, Croix Bethune and Sofia Cantore on the court before Rodman’s arrival. Rodman was a victim of the grueling drills Gotham’s defense put the attackers through, failing to make a single shot in a quiet return to the NWSL Championship a month after suffering a sprained MCL.
The result, in some sense, was a showcase of the NWSL’s greatest attribute: its collection of stars and champions, spread across the league’s 14 teams. Rose Lavelle’s winning goal in the 80th minute is a classic example of individual genius. Gotham, too, struggled on offense and finished the game with just 0.39 expected goals, with the game desperately calling for a game changer who would live up to the billing. Lavelle, who scored in the Women’s World Cup final six years ago with the U.S. women’s national team, had another big moment in the final and won her first NWSL title — and MVP honors — in the process.
Gotham is just as star-studded and accomplished as the Spirit. Jaedyn Shaw played a big role in the team’s playoff run with three contributions to their four total playoff goals, while international title winners like goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and center back Emily Sonnett stood out on Saturday. They may have entered the playoffs as the lowest seed, but underdog was a misnomer for a team like this, fully living up to the hype to win its second title.
The sheer number of stars makes their power inherently unpredictable: Someone’s individual talents will eventually break through, but it becomes difficult to guess whose will it is, one of the NWSL’s greatest sources of entertainment value. This quality will not disappear if one, two or three stars leave the league; the number of top players who are currently numerous in the NWSL. However, not all stars are created equal, and Rodman’s status is as clear an example of this concept as any.
The NWSL is in a natural period of transition, with former stars like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe coming to the end of their storied careers, paving the way for the next generation. As the full collection of emerging talent continues to take shape, Rodman is clearly the leader of the pack – her on-court abilities and accolades speak for themselves, but she has a mix of tangibles and intangibles that command attention, making her a player coveted by almost every team on the planet. There is no doubt that the torch is hers – who she chooses to take with her on her journey is not a matter of the future, but now the main concern of the NWSL, the 2025 season done and dusted.
Rodman said she hasn’t made a decision yet, but her quiet 33-minute show Saturday is almost a perfect setup for what’s to come. Interested in the English Women’s Super League and the USL Super League, another Division I league in the United States, Rodman placed her fate entirely in the hands of the NWSL. Update the salary cap rules that currently limit her return to the Spirit and Rodman will once again be able to share her talents with the NWSL, the duo growing together as the undeniable rise of the women’s sport continues. If Rodman uses his skills elsewhere, the NWSL’s transitional moment will become much more difficult to manage.
Rodman’s performance Saturday may not have done it, but the roar of 18,000 fans in San Jose was a stark reminder of what’s at stake for the NWSL in a new chapter of women’s soccer, one that no longer requires the powers that be to simply pay attention, but to be intentional and impactful in their investment. The league’s next decisions may revolve around Rodman, but they will also lay the groundwork for the stars who succeed her, whether they currently play in the NWSL or not.
