Back in July, the USA women’s national soccer team started their Olympic campaign in style defeating Zambia 3-0. Mallory Swanson’s first-half brace all but sealed the three points for Emma Hayes’s side, but it was Trinity Rodman’s slick opener that caught the eyes. The 22-year-old deployed her signature move, dubbed the ‘Trin Spin’, to evade defenders before poking the ball into the back of the net.

The “Trin Spin” is quick and clever. This is what has made Rodman one of the most exciting players in the sport who is defined by athleticism, flair, and unpredictability. Most often, Rodman deploys her spin during a run up the flank, catching the ball on the sideline, dragging a defender back, and then quickly changing direction. Sometimes, she takes the ball straight into the final third. In other instances, she uses it to get out of a trap and set up a teammate.

“I don’t know. I just am like, ‘How am I going to get out of this one?’” Rodman had said on the Women’s Game podcast in March last year about her signature move. “And it’s not most people’s first … option. But for some reason, my brain goes to, like, ‘Oh, let’s do a 360 twirl through the legs.’ It’s just, like, ‘That’s the easiest way to get out of that.’” But what we see on the field is just the outcome. More important are the decision-making and movement before the move. So how does Trinity pull it off?

Trinity’s club Washington Spirit’s General Manager Mark Krikorian’s comment gives the precise answer. He breaks down a player’s skill sets into four key areas: physical, psychological, technical (ball control, ability to beat opponents one-on-one), and tactical (positional understanding). “In each of those four categories,” he said, “Trin grades out pretty high.” Greg Baker, Trinity’s personal coach, even compares her fakes with those of Neymar and Lionel Messi. With such skill sets, no team would like to lose a player of her caliber, right? But as things stand, such a possibility is increasingly popping up on the scene.

The USWNT superstar is being linked with a move away from the States’ domestic landscape. Trinity is currently in the final year of her contract with the Washington Spirit. This has sparked interest from several top clubs, with Chelsea and Arsenal reportedly among the frontrunners. It’s no surprise that these English giants are eager to attract the talented forward, daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, as they look to strengthen their attacking options.

However, Chelsea and Arsenal could face stiff competition from other WSL clubs and European teams vying for her signature. Of course, Rodman is a prized asset for the Washington Spirit—drafted into the NWSL as the youngest player at just 18, instrumental in securing the team’s 2021 Championship with a title-winning assist, crowned Rookie of the Year the same season, and now one of the most vital players for the club. However, Trinity is not the only player on this route. Naomi Girma is one of the players that is on Chelsea’s radar, with the WSL side ready to make her the most expensive transfer in the women’s history by making a $1 million bid.

The London club will pay $1.1m (£890,000), the first women’s football transfer fee to exceed a million US dollars. Chelsea has reportedly agreed to a long-term contract with Girma and she is to travel to London for a medical with Sonia Bompastor’s side, who are seven points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League at the halfway stage.

The fee comfortably surpasses the record, of about $860,000, paid by the American club Bay FC to sign the Zambia forward Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF in February 2024. It is also more than double the record for a signing made by an English women’s club, paid by Chelsea for the Colombia striker Mayra Ramírez last January. That was thought to be €450,000 (£384,000 at the time) plus up to €50,000 in add-ons.

After this jolt, with growing rumors about Trinity’s potential move, Rodman’s future with the Spirit appears increasingly uncertain. No wonder this news had to leave NWSL fans fuming!

Soccer fraternity tears apart NWSL over Trinity Rodman’s potential transfer

This surprising transfer rumor was shared by renowned journalist and USWNT insider Tom Bogert on X. Over the years, we have seen the majority of the players make a small start in collegiate soccer to finally make a potential breakthrough in the NWSL. Though one would expect them to stick around and further elevate the status of the league, only a few keep this promise while the rest move to a new challenge. So is the NWSL nothing but a talent feeder? Certainly, one fan didn’t like it at all: “NWSL becoming a feeder league this league is a joke.” But is there a money matter involved? Does that mean players leaving NWSL is just about financial motives?

“Man, the league needs to show these ladies the money. Losing Girma and now maybe Trin? Not bueno,” another fan wrote. One has to agree on how far the NWSL has come. Growing fanbase, million-dollar sponsorships, and new franchises, it’s clearly going in a unique direction. But then why do players somehow end up leaving for the greater good? Well, one netizen took a direct hit at NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman.

“@JessicaBerman1 ‘The best play in the NWSL,’ ‘NWSL is the best league in the world.’ The best league in the world isn’t a WSL feeder league losing Girma is one thing but losing the face of your league right after? Very hard to take this league serious if that happens.” However, according to Berman, investors are starting to put their money into the league, “and we’re just at the beginning of [our] growth.”

Since Berman became commissioner of the NWSL in 2022, she’s been on a mission to elevate the league by commanding more for its teams. That starts with valuations. In the past, new NWSL team franchises were sold for roughly $5 million. But in 2023, the league auctioned off expansion rights in Boston and the Bay Area for $53 million apiece (bringing the league to 14 teams), with the new owners pledging to invest an overall $100 million and $125 million, respectively, into their teams.

The 11-year-old Portland Thorns, meanwhile, sold for a record-breaking $63 million in January last year. And billionaire Ron Burkle agreed to sell San Diego Wave FC in a deal that values the team at $113 million. “We reset the enterprise value of our franchises by more than 10 times,” Berman said.

 Choosing between WSL and NWSL in terms of the best league in the world is something that we hardly like to get into. Both leagues are different in their own ways. As a matter of fact, moves and transfers are just an inevitable part of a soccer player’s career journey, which is also crucial for their growth. Yet, another fan seemed to disagree: “Why are we pretending the NWSL isn’t the best league in the world? Why are we letting the other leagues put up a facade and pass us?”

It’s not like all are leaving for the WSL. To be fair, countless names have come from the rival league and graced the NWSL with their presence. While the tradition somewhat still carries forward, fans would hardly like to see it go the other way and want the best names to stick with the American League: “Losing her to Europe would suck.” Do you also think that NWSL is at fault for Trinity Rodman’s potential departure?