Chapter 1: What makes Trinity Rodman's new contract significant?
And now here's Rodman down the right side.
It's Trinity Rodman! What a week it has been for Trinity Rodman! And she caps it off with a goal as the captain of her country today. Trinity Rodman, superstar!
I don't think anybody had a better week than Trinity Rodman. I'm having a pretty good week myself, not because I'm alone in studio. It really feels like I'm in my house, in my living room. So happy to break all things down. You heard a little chuckle from her. Let's see if she can chuckle a little bit louder. I'm not actually by myself.
I'm never alone when I have Allie Krieger by my side, our two-time World Cup champion. Allie, how's it going? You're just a little bit far away from me, and the weather's a little bit better, I heard, than the East Coast. You're in the West Coast, correct?
Yes, I'm in L.A. I'm prepping for NWSL Media Day. I'm very excited to be here for the next couple of days, breaking it all down with a lot of the best players in the league. So I can't wait for that. But I do miss you. I don't miss the snow, but I'm very happy to be in the warmer weather.
Fair for clarification. Allie Krieger was here. She was in the thick of it for the snow. She did not escape before, but she's definitely thawing much quicker than we are here in the East Coast. Very excited for NWSL Media Day. Very excited for everything that we have today. Coming up on football W because we just saw a little taste of what the US women's national team did just the other day.
They have another game coming up here in just a couple of hours versus Chile and we will of course break that down and our Emily Keogh sat down with Nadine Kessler.
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Chapter 2: How did Trinity Rodman perform in the recent USWNT match?
We will tell you all about it, but first. We told you last week to keep an eye out for Thursday that we would break it down today because she is unattached no more. Trinity Rodman signed a record three-year deal worth over $2 million annually, including bonuses, making her the highest paid player in league history ever.
and the highest paid female player in the world, according to her agent, Mike Sienkowski. Now, the deal was announced alongside, as we can see, club owner Michelle Kang at BMO Field in Los Angeles on Thursday. Here's Trinity on what went down into her decision just a few minutes after on SportsCenter.
Yeah, I just kept trying to answer one question. It was, is my legacy done at Spirit? Am I done with Spirit as a whole? And I wasn't. I think there's a lot more I want to do, if that's community, if that's on field. And I love DC, the community, the fan base is everything to me. And I wasn't ready to give that up yet.
Yeah, obviously it's been a roller coaster of emotions through it because there's one side of wanting to be paid well, wanting to stay in the U.S.
and represent my country, but also there's the other aspect, the other piece of we want to get a lot more players paid this and to just continue to raise the bar for that because, again, celebrating me, but at the same time it's a big moment for soccer as a whole and another stepping stool for another opportunity for somebody else and hopefully numerous amount of people around the league.
Her legacy is already unmatched or hard to reach, although we do see Sophia Wilson, Mallory Swanson, following her close behind here with the highest reported salaries in NWSL this season. Very exciting to see Sophia Wilson, by the way, back at training and ready to go yet again. Mallory Swanson as well with 500K.
But as Trinity said here, Ali, and we know that we've been following this very, very closely pretty much since
media day before nw cell championship we were there for that week and that was pretty much the talk of the town more than the game itself with nwsl commissioner jessica berman there of course we just saw the hip rule pretty much being into place now called the rodman rule but finally see this go from pen to paper officially what was your initial reaction to hearing that this was done and with the salary that's being talked about
Well, on one side of things, I'm very excited for her. She deserves it. This is what her value is, if not even more. But the attraction that she brings, not only to the game on the field, but off the field, and then especially with D.C., right? She puts butts in the seats, and people show up to see her. Her marketability is incredible.
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Chapter 3: What were the highlights of the USWNT's game against Paraguay?
Or, you know, how is that going to play out, you know, throughout the season? Everyone's super happy for us. It has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with other players feeling that they're getting what they deserve and how their value is represented as well at the same level. So and how can you really manage that?
How can you really, you know, give players a certain cap on what their value is by certain lists that they make throughout the year through media or through other broadcast companies who are designing these lists around the league, specifically in the NWSL and not globally? So how can you rate these players at the level that they actually deserve what they should be receiving?
So who knows how it's going to be culturally moving forward within each and every organization. I think it's really hard when you have a salary cap of each club about $3.3 million and one player is making $2 million of that. So it can be really difficult. Obviously, you want Trinity Ramen on every team there is in the NWSL. But I could see that it could cause a couple of disruptions.
And how can we now get to a place where other players who have a similar value can get paid the same?
Yeah, and in that uncomfortable environment, good things can come as well. And I'm sure Trinity Rodman thought about everything that comes with this deal as well. But for her specifically, Allie, and everything that you just described from the locker room to comparing herself to the league and vice versa, how much added pressure does this put on her shoulders?
Yeah, I think a little bit, especially when you're coming off a year where you had some injury struggles and you maybe played a handful of games. Obviously, you want to play every game, especially the type of player that she is and the talent that she is, the quality that she brings both on and off the field. You want to you know, lead the team that you, you know, are loyal to.
And it was a difficult year for her. So I think there is a little bit of pressure wanting to, one, perform really well, score goals, and get her team in a position to stay at the top of the table. And then, two, just personally wanting to be able to feel good and feel fit
and available for each and every game that you have this season coming up, especially to be able to be within the national team because that is a highlight in itself for every player who is a staple within the squad. You want to be present, you want to play at the highest level, and you want to perform at club. So I think for her, having those personal goals is going to be...
It's going to be probably the highlight for her personally this year to be able to stay fit and healthy in order to have that pressure moment because I think players of her caliber, they thrive in these pressure moments. They can thrive and carry the team, put the team on their back and really perform well in all of those moments that are somewhat difficult for others.
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Chapter 4: How does Trinity Rodman's contract impact women's soccer salaries?
We talked to her about that before the NWSL championship, but we've also made this comparison because Honestly, Ali, that week, I thought we were going to see the last of Trinity Rodman in the NWSL, at least for now, with the Washington spirit for now.
And I thought we were going to talk about her moving to Europe when it comes to that comparison in this deal now and everything that we've been talking about with that NWSL value prop versus Europe. Where are you seeing that after this deal?
Yeah, I think that, you know, there's always an opportunity. There's always a chance. And then that brings the question of if she does go, then what was this all for, right?
Now who's the next player that's going to get the $2 million deal when we see, you know, most of our talent leave to go have a new experience and to go play Champions League and to continue to grow and develop in the way that they want to because they are still very young, 23, 24, 25 years old, and they still have a lot of football left to play. So
that's always going to be available to her and to other players as well. And the leagues around the world are only going to continue to get better, just like the NWSL. So NWSL has to continue to find ways to improve itself and to not dilute the player pool or the organizations by adding
More organizations each and every year where the quality then is a little bit diluted and the parity is No longer good enough to have you know weekend and week out games that are very competitive So we're gonna start to see some change but then it's you know in three years what's gonna happen when she's 26 27 years old still
in the prime of her career and able to go overseas and play for a huge club and try to win a Champions League. So we'll have to see. But as of right now, it's a good thing that we have Trinity Rodman for three more years in the NWSL. And it'll be exciting to be able to show some of our highlights here and talk about...
You know how brilliant she's going to be for Washington and then the national team leading into the World Cup. Yeah.
Speaking of highlights, we've seen numerous amounts of highlights and those amazing moments that she has had with Washington spirit. Although we know we have seen more tears when it comes to championship and not necessarily of joy because
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Chapter 5: What challenges does Trinity Rodman face after her new contract?
season where there were there been a handful of injuries or a player out on maternity leave and they were able to fill the shoes and and fill them pretty brilliantly throughout the season to be able to stay at the top of the table and compete for the championship. So I'm looking forward to continuing to watch Washington Spirit grow.
They now have another player joining the team from Paraguay, this young, talented 18-year-old who has a long career ahead of her, who's going to continue to, you know, fight for a position within the attacking six. But you have the Croy Bethunes of the world. You have Trinity Rodman back, fully fit and healthy. Lacey Santos. I mean, the names go on and on.
that you can talk about in the depth and the amount of talent that they have. So I have no doubt they will stay at the top of the table this season for sure, and they're going to be hungry enough, and they're going to be confident enough, and they're going to be motivated enough to want to get back into the finals and actually win this time around. But there are times of charm, so we'll see.
But having Trinity Rodman back and available each and every weekend I think is such a treat for Washington, and they can look forward to that, that she's going to be healthy and fit.
Yeah, exactly. That's the key, right? A healthy and fit Trinity Rodman. We've never doubted her talent, but we've almost felt the pain with her when she isn't able to be at 100%. She's talked about how tough coming back from that back injury was and how many months she was out. We saw what it meant to score again and to be back with Washington spirit.
We know that that could be a little bit of a cloud as it has been in moments of her career. Speaking of, What about the grievance, Ali? Because we're not forgetting about the NWSL PA and how they're playing a part in all of that as well. How can that maybe, I don't want to say distract, but also maybe cast a little bit of a shadow on all of this?
Yeah, this is a difficult situation because you have the back injury, but also everything has to perform well within your body in order for your back to be stabilized and to be comfortable enough. I think that within an injury like this, you have to be really careful and make sure that it's consistent you know, rehab, consistent therapy.
Everything has to be functioning properly in order for the back to be stabilized and successful enough to, you know, like help you out on the field to perform well. So there's going to be a lot of access to treatment. There's going to be, you know, all the resources that she's going to need in order to make sure that she is fully fit and ready. And I think they have that quality there.
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Chapter 6: How is the USWNT preparing for upcoming matches?
They have those resources. They have the medical staff. They will provide everything they can in order to keep her fit and healthy and on the field throughout the year. And I know that the U.S. national team, the medical team there, has also been making sure that they consistently have that chat with the club.
to talk about you know the return to play process and how you know that communication has to be every every single week so i know that that's in a healthy place uh... and i know that you know a professional player like her uh... is gonna make sure that she prioritizes those things in order to really uh... yeah help her team win so It should be exciting, but it is somewhat of a worry.
But as long as the players stay on top of that process to get back and stay fit and healthy, then I don't see an issue this year with her.
Yeah, and we know that so much went into this decision. It wasn't a 24-hour quick decision that Trinity Rodman and obviously everybody surrounding her made, but especially someone like her. And you mentioned the possibility of Europe, of playing Champions League. How does staying in the NWSL impact her? her growth Allie.
Yeah I think it not only helps her personally just what she said my job isn't done yet in D.C. I want to continue to fight on the field and win championships but I also want to continue to develop the community off the field.
So I think that was something really inspiring for a lot of these players these peers and also all of us to hear that you know she has passion to want to continue to help the community and She really enjoys playing at this level in the stadium with the home fans and the crowd with the city. So I think all of that is great.
And I agree that when you sit down and you ask yourself, okay, do I feel ready to move on? Am I really done with everything I've tried to develop here, not only as a person but as a player? And if that answer is no and you still feel like there's unfinished business, of course that decision has to be all you and you are the only one that really knows that as a player.
So I'm happy that she kind of sat with this decision for a while because that means she's more confident in how she's going to approach this and serious and I love the loyalty. I've always been one of those players who likes to play for one club for more than just a year or two. So I can see why she feels like it's a home for her and also for the fans. The fans love her there. The city loves her.
I think she can feel that. Now she just wants to reciprocate that and give back not only to the team and the organization but also the community. So I think it's brilliant. I think she puts people in the seats. I think she's such an attraction, so valuable to the club, not only on the field but off as well. And we see that each and every game.
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Chapter 7: What insights did Nadine Kessler share about UEFA's women's football initiatives?
She just saw a slight pocket open up. Goalkeeper didn't really have a chance. Near post is difficult. Brilliant. And then once again, Olivia Moultrie on the end of this. Brilliant play to get Bethune on the ball, and she was able to finish this little one-two combinations. Olivia Moultrie sees her make the run into the box. I think it was maybe tapped in an own goal.
Yeah, it was by Fiorella Martinez, but they were taking advantage of that. First post as well, and there it is. Captain Rodman. Love the celebration, Allie.
Yeah, what a celebration. I'm sure she was so pumped to do that. I know that Emma said she's 49 years old. She wouldn't have been able to. To do that dance and replicate it. But well done by Trinh. She's definitely back.
I'm happy for her. She was definitely having a moment. So was the national team. So was Allie Centner. Allie.
Yeah, once again, Allie Centner with the brace. Brilliant ball through by Giselle Thompson. She just sees this wide opening. Cuts in front of the defender. Side netting with pace and precision. Brilliant goal.
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Chapter 8: What changes are expected in the UEFA Women's Champions League format?
And one more.
Why not this one by Emma Sears. Allie.
Yes, Emma Sears just jumps right into the game. And one of the first actions she has is this goal. She sees an opportunity as well.
I think it was a hard year. We all know. And she's ready to move forward, which I think today symbolizes that. It's a fresh year. It's a fresh start for her. She's settled. She's happy. I think knowing her future is... This is a big weight off of her shoulders. I think she looked rusty, like all of them did in many ways.
But she said to me at halftime, you're not taking me off till I get a goal, because I've got a celebration. And I thought, I don't know what that's going to look like. And then she did it, and I couldn't quite see it. Then she came over to me, and she asked me to mirror it. And I said, I'm 49 years of age. There's no chance I'm doing that. My son's up in the stands.
Today we got to see Trinity wear the armband, pass it off to Claire Hutton. How have you seen them kind of taking on what you've tasked them with in terms of the leadership? And what did you think of Hutton's and Rodman's performance tonight in terms of the captaincy? I credit the man next to me.
He made sure that Trin was well prepped for the responsibilities that come with that, all the little things that come with that, which I know she really appreciated.
People like responsibility, so to give them that was only going to add value to their performances because they care about the team, they care about the crest, and I think Trinh did a great job of ensuring we carry on our customs and our traditions. And by scoring a goal and signing off like that is always great for the fans. She knows how important it is to produce for our fans.
I think for the amount of possession we grew to have in the first half, the decision into the final third and the execution in the final third was where we fell short. So I think focusing on that is important because I think we do work the ball into the right areas. I think just getting that last part right. I also think that part does take the longest.
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