Power FC make offer to Rodman, MLS 2026 schedule, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday, and happy Spirit Championship weekend!! I am very excited for tomorrow’s match, though still trying to figure out where to go, and I really hope that all of you will be watching as well. It’s not every day that your local team is in the NWSL finals! (Just, you know, three times in the past five years.) For those interested, the official watch party is at Lincoln Theater, but I’ve seen a LOT of other bars in the area advertising that they will be playing the game with sound.
Anyway, let’s get into the news because there is a LOT from yesterday. And shout-out to our own Donald Wine, who put in a ton of work writing yesterday!
Report: DC Power offers “significantly larger” contract to Trinity Rodman (The DP)
This is WILD. What an embarrassment to the NWSL that they can’t offer their most marketable star as much as the Gainbridge Super League! I’m very curious about how DC Power got involved here and how they’re able to justify the sudden infusion of cash to make the offer while putting so little into advertising and supporting their current team, but selfishly, my main hope is that this encourages Jessica Berman to raise the damn cap already!!
NWSL announce new contract for commissioner Jessica Berman ahead of Saturday’s final between Spirit and Gotham (CBS Sports)
Amidst this drama, the NWSL confirmed that Berman has signed a new multi-year contract, so the owners must be pleased with how she’s handling things. I’m not sure if that bodes well for our hopes of keeping Rodman in the league…
Abdellatif Aboukoura wins USL Championship Young Player of the Year Award (Loudoun United)
This is a very deserved win for Aboukoura after 15 goals across all competitions in 2025! (Although a small yikes to Loudoun for this part: “the first player in club history to win a post-season USL Championship award.”)
DC United announce 2026 schedule featuring Inter Miami match in Baltimore (The DP)
We got a surprise MLS schedule release yesterday afternoon! I’m guessing they needed to plan ahead around the World Cup, for which they will be taking a break from May 25th until July 16th. Should be an interesting year!
The USL Championship final is also taking this weekend between Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and FC Tulsa. Pittsburgh’s supporters group is planning a bus ride between the two stadiums for the match, an experience which I guess could be fun, if it weren’t a 16 hour ride.
The USL Championship season is ending – it’s CBA standoff doesn’t seem to be (Backheeled $)
Meanwhile, negotiations for the league’s CBA — set to expire at the end of this year — are ongoing and don’t seem to be resolving anytime soon.
Comcast, Paramount could be future top bidders for MLS broadcast rights (SBJ)
Apple’s deal with MLS ends after the 2028-29 season, and there are already other contenders for the league’s broadcast rights. I haven’t been a big fan of the double-paywall, but with that going away, do you think MLS should be seeking another partner?
Inter-confederation, UEFA Playoff paths set to determine final World Cup spots (SSFC)
We are getting scarily close to knowing which teams will make it to next year’s World Cup. Personally, I’d like to see Jamaica make it in. Let’s really stack this thing with Concacaf teams.
USMNT jumps to 14th in November 2025 FIFA rankings (SSFC)
On a related note, their strong recent performances have seen the USMNT climb from 16th to 14th in the FIFA Men’s Rankings.
The NWSL Received 43 Complaints In 2024, And Five In The First Half Of This Year, Public Records Show (Defector)
After years of harassment and abuse problems in the league, it’s good that someone is still playing watchdog. In addition to looking at complaint data, Defector got information on coach hiring, harassment investigation procedures, and player surveys.
USWNT to face Paraguay in January Camp friendly (SSFC)
The USWNT’s first match of 2026 will be in Carson, CA and feature a tribute to Christen Press. This match will start the team’s long warm-up to 2027 World Cup qualifiers next November.
Now, for your Friday fun, the Spirit players were asked to name which teammate they would not let their sibling date.
Finally, your schedule of matches for the weekend. Have a good one!
| Teams | When | Where | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC Power FC vs. Carolina Ascent FC | Fri., Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. | Washington, DC | Peacock |
| Washington Spirit vs. Gotham FC | Sat., Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. | San Jose, CA | CBS |
On the multi-year extension for Berman, it seems there might very well be a split between the consensus of the ownership groups and the GMs. Berman is a public champion of the salary cap as a league defining feature, and journalism recently revealed that, when polled anonymously, 85% of NWSL GMs disapprove of the cap as is. Which, yeah, that’s a lot of agreement between competitors.
Seems like that’s a problem between the money people and the ones who know how to run and develop a squad.
It’s also quite likely there is some amount of collective bargaining posturing about this too – the owners may want to raise the cap, but would want some sort of concession to adjust the CBA. So Berman’s stance of how great it is could be a signal that they aren’t just going to unilateraly make the change.
Yeah, admittedly one of my weaknesses when speculating on these processes is ascribing some values or consistent principles to these figures. The truth is they’ll prevent a rising tide that benefits everyone just to maintain a fucking bargaining position.
And the Berman quote about the cap being a huge benefit is indeed too strange and counter factual to be entirely genuine.
As for the Trin thing, it’s basically the case that Levien has moved on from hollowing out and desensitizing me to the club I bonded with in my early childhood. He’s now looking to undermine the club I’ve come to adore in favor of another that is completely irrelevant.
My son and I have joked that the entire existence of DC Power is because our owners are thin-skinned weirdos that couldn’t stand the increased competition from their tenants, and everything about DC Power is just to annoy Kang. Results don’t matter, etc. I’m not sure I believe it more than as a joke, but making this offer (that I doubt Trin would take in any circumstance) certainly fits that theory.
Unfortunately the Power is probably just another poorly managed money grab from guys who run into the gold mine completely unprepared. I think this offer is the thing that most approaches “spiteful and thin-skinned”, or at the very least a tacky plea for attention.
I’m hyped for the watch party! Already got my reservation for one of the bars. Hoping to get one of the sweet free t shirts!
Yeah, it’s exciting. I’m headed to Astro Beer Hall. It’s just me, so I’ll just try to find a bar seat as early as I can, and take in the fan anticipation.
I did not see the DC Power offer coming–that is so far from unexpected, it isn’t from “left field” it’s outside the freaking stadium. I don’t think the answer is to expand the cap–that would need to probably go up by $1-2 million. I think there needs to be a DP exception where teams have a player count $300k-$600k on the cap and then pay above it for 1 player.
And the Spirit videos are so hilarious!
I was initially going to share this video where the players were asked about most underrated player on the team (https://bsky.app/profile/nwslsoccer.com/post/3m643q7m5ic2e), but it wasn’t quite as funny/cute. However, I agree with many of them that Rose Kouassi is the answer! She led the league in assists this year and didn’t get a single award mention?? Disrespectful.
Gotta love how star struck Sylla is to even talk about Tara, despite sitting at the same table and seeing her in training most days
Actually, I thought is was a pretty funny video (although even the funny responses were serious). Thanks for sharing that. And yeah, Kouassi didn’t get a single mention? I think one of the factors that the Spirit players encountered when it came to awards was that the roster is so deep, so many players saw PT (combination of injuries and competition) that very few of them started most of the time.
Ah the Beckham/Messi rule for NWSL.
I really hope people colloquially call it the Rodman Rule if it passes
Or the Trin Doctrine 😉
In all seriousness, though, I wonder if Rodman would even jive with a rule that bears her surname. It’s her last name, but a lot of baggage from her parent’s misdeeds and neglect.
If a rule is created, I hope she gets a say in the name.
I agree, it makes me wonder if she’s considered changing the name on her jersey. Maybe she also wants to own it and disconnect it from her dad (she’s honestly the first person I think of nowadays when the name comes up).
Also Sam Mewis from The Womens Game released an interview with Croix Bethune yesterday! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhKHgXrmYi0