Trinity Rodman and the HIP rule: USWNT stars going abroad may not be the worst thing | Women’s football

The dust has yet to settle on Trinity Rodman’s club status, but the American star striker’s near future has sparked an emphatic rekindling of an old debate on this side of the Atlantic.

How does the National Women’s Soccer League compare to its major competing leagues? When should the league be concerned if the USWNT’s top talent crosses the Atlantic? And what, if anything, can be done to stop the flow?

The issues swirling in the United States have been around for some time, although they once played out under very different conditions: a less competitive global landscape, less investment abroad, formal management of the NWSL by US Soccer.

These conditions have changed dramatically over the past decade, particularly over the past six years. Since winning Olympic gold at the Parc des Princes, some of America’s biggest names have moved abroad. This includes starting right back Emily Fox (Arsenal), center back and sometimes captain Naomi Girma (Chelsea) and rising winger Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea). Key players such as Catarina Macario, captain Lindsey Heaps (who signed this month for her hometown club Denver), Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Lily Yohannes were already overseas.

As the Guardian noted after the signing of defensive midfielder Sam Coffey – who was among the team’s top scorers in 2025 – for Manchester City, if Rodman went abroad she would be the sixth Olympic gold medal match starter to now ply her trade in Europe.

One thing is clear: The NWSL views the outflow of marquee names from the USWNT as a matter of the utmost importance. Given the historic connection between the U.S. national team stars and the NWSL’s biggest crowds and marketability, this concern is justified. (However, the health of the league is not as solely dependent on the marketability of the national team as in the past.)

But what the league can do to counteract the flow — and whether the current trend merits outright panic — is less clear.

The league’s first attempt to stop the flow (and prevent Rodman’s departure in particular) is the high-impact player rule, which has already been officially challenged by the NWSL Players Association. The NWSLPA alleges that the terms of the HIP rule violate the terms of their collective bargaining agreement, as well as federal labor law, and instead advocates for an increase in the league’s salary cap.

Dubbed the “Rodman Rule,” the HIP Rule sets criteria for identifying highly sought-after international talent and allocates an additional $1 million above the salary cap to accommodate them on the roster. The criteria includes things like minutes on the USWNT and a high ranking on year-end lists such as ESPN’s top 50 and the Guardian’s top 100.

Emma Hayes told the press that she had not been consulted on the league’s criteria for the HIP rule and that it would not change her approach to managing the team. The former Chelsea manager has addressed this subject several times publicly, always emphasizing that she is there to support each player in their own decisions, and that she does not pointedly steer them abroad.

As for the HIP rule itself, the NWSLPA may be right to suggest that renegotiating the salary cap is a better way to stay competitive. But to some extent, it’s worth noting that USWNT talent going overseas isn’t just about money. Coffey, for example, moved to Manchester citing the same reasons given by international talents such as Spanish striker Esther González (who was top scorer at last summer’s Euros) or German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger when they arrived in the NWSL; Moving back and forth across the Atlantic offers players new challenges in different systems.

With the global growth of the game, it might be unrealistic to expect an international star to play their entire career in a single league. From an individual or national team perspective, it may also limit that player’s growth as they seek new elements to their game. In the case of USWNT players moving to Europe, the unique experience of playing in the Champions League – which challenges players to adapt to a variety of styles in Europe’s top leagues – is irreplaceable. Fox cited the opportunity to compete in the Champions League as a key motivating factor in his move to Arsenal, winning the competition in his first season. Hayes stressed that Champions League experience is a valuable tool for his players as they prepare for the 2027 World Cup.

To help allay fears, as opposed to migration, returning to the NWSL remains an attraction for USWNT players like Heaps or Catarina Macario, who have long charted their careers abroad. And while the league scrambles to keep Rodman in the United States, the other two members of the famous “triple espresso” forward trio who scored 10 goals in Paris (Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson) are expected to return to action in 2026, with all the star power they bring.

Eyes remain on Rodman’s future, and the NWSL is right to try to keep her in the United States. It is very uncertain whether the HIP rule will have any consequences on this front (as well as any renegotiated salary cap). But in the long run, USWNT stars spending time overseas isn’t necessarily a cause for panic and, from the national team’s perspective, can add dynamism to the team as it looks to compete in the next World Cup.

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