Why Trinity Rodman Chose to Stay in D.C.

Trinity Rodman’s California roots run deep. The Washington Spirit forward was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and broke through as a buzzy prospect for the SoCal Blues soccer club. She split her high school days between Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano. Until Rodman was 18, she only knew sunshine, freeways and the Pacific coastline.

But Rodman, who turned 24 last month, has now been based in the D.C. area for a quarter of her life. The personal growth, the core memories, the foundational relationships — so many of the experiences that shaped her into a global star have come during her time in the District.This past winter, a protracted contract saga ended with Rodman inking a deal to remain with the Spirit for another three years.

From time to time, she will ask her mother: “Is it bad to say that D.C. feels like my hometown and not California?’”

“She’s like, ‘Don’t say that!’” Rodman laughed. “But this is my home, and every single time I drive to the games, I’m super excited. It feels like I’m going to hang out at my best friend’s house.”

It’s not hard to see why the Audi Field faithful worship Rodman. In her debut season in 2021, Rodman claimed NWSL rookie of the year honors and steered the Spirit to its first league championship. By the time the World Cup arrived in 2023, she was a starter for the U.S. national team. A year later, Rodman teamed up with Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson to form the “Triple Espresso” front line that spearheaded the Americans’ run to an Olympic gold medal in Paris.

So, even after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign, Rodman’s first foray into free agency dominated women’s soccer headlines. Could the Spirit afford to retain her under the NWSL’s salary cap? Or would she follow U.S. teammates Naomi Girma, Alyssa Thompson and Emily Fox in leaving the league to accept a big-money offer from a European team?

Since making her debut in 2021, Rodman has become one of the most popular players in the NWSL. Lindsey Wasson/AP

Amid negotiations, the NWSL introduced the “high-impact player rule” that allowed clubs to exceed the salary cap to secure certain stars. Before long, it was informally dubbed the “Rodman rule.” A month later, Rodman re-signed with the Spirit in a reported three-year, $6 million deal that made her the highest-paid player in women’s soccer history.

“They didn’t want me to go,” Rodman said of the NWSL and the Spirit. “They were being selfish about it, which I think speaks to what I’ve been trying to achieve here and within the entire league. It just makes me very happy, outside of all the other things that came with [the contract], just knowing that fans wanted me to succeed — but didn’t want me to succeed somewhere else.”

With a 2-1 win against the Seattle Reign on Saturday night at Audi Field, the Spirit entered the NWSL’s monthlong midseason break at 6-2-3 — good for fourth in the 16-team league.

Over the break, she will join the national team for two international friendlies against 2027 World Cup host Brazil. After making just one appearance for the U.S. in 2025, Rodman has gotten back in a groove wearing the red, white and blue, logging eight matches and scoring two goals this year.

Rodman (right) and midfielder Leicy Santos at an NWSL match in Denver on March 28. David Zalubowski/AP

“She’s settled. She’s happy,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “I think knowing her future is a big weight off her shoulders.”

Star Qualities

When Rodman celebrated her 100th regular-season appearance for the Spirit with a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Current on April 24, she became the youngest NWSL player to hit that milestone. Her elite statistics — more than 30 goals and 20 assists in her career — are matched by her marketing influence: Her No. 2 jersey is the NWSL’s bestseller, and she has more than 750,000 followers on Instagram.

“Seeing how young she is getting 100 games, it’s kind of insane,” Adrián González, the Spirit’s coach, said. “So I call her a veteran. … She wants to help the team, and she wants to fight and she wants to compete.”

Rodman marked that 100th match with her first goal and first assist of the season after a five-match drought. She found the net in the next two matches and added two more assists as the Spirit surged up the standings.

“I’m happy with where I’m at,” Rodman said. “But at the same time, I wish I could score and assist every game.”

Rodman maintains staggering standards, even after physical struggles in recent years. A lingering back injury limited the winger during Washington’s run to the 2024 NWSL final, then led her to step away from the club for more than three months last season as she sought treatment abroad. She was later sidelined by a knee injury, returning for just two cameos off the bench in the playoffs as the Spirit’s season ended with another championship game defeat.

“I wouldn’t be the player I am today without Audi [Field] and without this experience here,” Rodman said. Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire/AP

When healthy, Rodman is a menace. Propulsive on the ball, with the pace to blow past defenders and the footwork to confound them, she creates all kinds of mismatches in wide spaces. Closer to goal, her attacking instincts and finishing touch make her as lethal as they come.

“Her acceleration, her change of direction, her technical ability are all really world class,” said Haley Carter, the Spirit’s president of soccer operations. “But I think what makes her truly special is her decision-making at speed and her creativity. She processes and sees the game at a really, really elite level, recognizing when to take defenders on, when to combine with their teammates, when to exploit space in behind.”

Rodman’s teammates are also quick to emphasize her value in the locker room, where she is a chatty and endearing presence. Postgame interviews are often brimming with introspection and self-aware shtick, her infectious personality off the field matching her entertainment value on it.

“She’s so bubbly, always smiling, laughing, dancing, just bringing a lot of energy to the group,” Spirit defender Esme Morgan said. “She kind of brings that vibe and just carries a lot of excitement from herself to the rest of us.”

‘The Rodman Rule’

After her new contract was announced in January, Rodman explained her decision in simple terms: She wasn’t done in Washington.

“I wouldn’t be the player I am today without Audi [Field], and without this experience here,” she said last week. “That has shaped me to be who I am today, on and off the field. That connection within D.C. has just stuck with me, and it feels like my home.”

Finalizing that arrangement, however, was no easy task.

Accommodating Rodman’s salary was tricky for a Spirit squad that also features such stars as Italian striker Sofia Cantore, Colombian playmaker Leicy Santos and reigning NWSL defender of the year Tara Rudd. An initial bargain struck between Washington and Rodman was vetoed by NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman for purportedly circumventing the salary cap. When the league introduced the high-impact player rule, the players union filed a still-unresolved grievance and advocated for raising the salary cap.

Spirit owner Y. Michele Kang said Rodman’s contract was made possible by the league’s new salary cap rules. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP

“I’m thankful that the league pushed through a solution that enabled us to keep Trin here in D.C. and to keep Trin within the league,” said Carter, who was tasked with negotiating the deal for Washington. “That’s important for the NWSL, and important for the women’s game here in the U.S. I do think it’s unfortunate that we have to come up with such creative mechanisms to be able to pay players what they’re worth.”

The negotiations marked an inflection point for the NWSL, a 14-year-old circuit increasingly threatened by Europe’s top leagues. Rodman hopes that her deal not only sets the stage for her U.S. teammates to stay put but also shows younger players they can achieve their career goals Stateside.

“I always looked at the national team and the players that I looked up to as, like, untouchable, unfathomable idols,” Rodman said. “Now, being in this position where I do have the ability and the power to find that connection and to show [young girls] that it’s possible, and that it’s not a Rodman rule or a one-player thing, is very important to me.”

Spirit owner Y. Michele Kang shared that sentiment.

“Trin’s contract is certainly benefiting from [the rule], but it was not just for Trin,” Kang said upon announcing the deal. “It’s much bigger. It’s for the league-wide effort.”

But Carter has been careful not to heap too much responsibility on Rodman for shaking up the women’s soccer landscape.

“You’ve got to remind her that there’s a burden that comes along with being the first to do something and kind of remind her not to let that burden weigh too heavy on her,” Carter said.

The NWSL season will resume July 3, and Rodman will once again focus on bringing a trophy back to D.C. Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

If Rodman is feeling that pressure, she isn’t showing it. She has started posting more vlogs to her YouTube page, documenting her day-to-day. By sharing these small moments — playing Fortnite, spoiling her rescue dog, furnishing her new Northern Virginia home, hanging out with her niece and nephew — Rodman finds she’s both connecting with fans and centering herself.

“To just watch it back, it’s wholesome for me,” she said. “I don’t get a moment to really process my life.”

Rodman hopes to do more of that during the NWSL break, which she plans to spend tagging along with boyfriend Ben Shelton — the world’s No. 5-ranked men’s tennis player — as he prepares for Wimbledon. The NWSL campaign will resume July 3, and Rodman will once again focus on bringing a trophy back to her new hometown.

“From my teenage years to now, I feel like I’ve grown with D.C. and with Audi and with this team and organization,” Rodman said. “I just don’t feel like I’ve finished everything yet.”