Trinity Rodman: why US soccer could lose its most compelling star to Europe

The forward's blocked contract and a growing talent drain to Europe have nudged the NWSL into crisis mode. Here's what's happening and why it matters

The Trinity Rodman contract saga has exposed a fundamental tension at the heart of the National Women's Soccer League: a salary-cap model built for stability and measured growth coming in collision with a global market that has accelerated far beyond it.

Rodman is one of the most important young players in US soccer, arguably its most marketable female star and a centerpiece of the NWSL's future. Yet European giants have offered her salaries that America's top women's domestic league cannot legally match, prompting the NWSL to veto a record-breaking Washington Spirit deal (and the players' union to file a grievance in response).