NWSL’s looming rule change, explained. Plus: The latest on free agency

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Before we get started, you’re going to want to watch how Khadija “Bunny” Shaw reached her century goal for Manchester City. She’s just a GOAT doing GOAT things at this point.

In today’s Full Time:

↪️ NWSL at an inflection point

🔙 Midge Purce back with Gotham

🏁 Final Champions League match day of 2025

 Let’s start by unpacking a potential major change to the NWSL’s rules …

Boardroom

Will NWSL change its salary rules?

Short answer: It’s trying to.

The NWSL is experiencing a major inflection point: It has re-signed commissioner Jessica Berman through 2028, is trying to keep a generational talent in Trinity Rodman and now is on the cusp of a major rules update. Yes, these three things are related.

Last Thursday, Meg reported the board of governors was in advanced discussions about creating a new roster mechanism that would allow teams to pay players “significantly” beyond the current salary cap. ESPN subsequently reported the board voted to approve the change. However, any update to competition regulations must be approved by the players association. So, we wait.

Here’s what’s been put to a vote and how it impacts the ongoing Rodman negotiations:

ESPN reported the change, which had been called the “High Impact Player” in early talks, would allow teams to spend up to $1 million over the cap to pay star player salaries, with only a portion hitting the cap.

It’s unclear what requirements players would have to meet to earn the exemption. ESPN reported the requirements include both sporting and commercial benchmarks, though.

The board of governors, which includes team owners and Berman, will meet this week for further discussions.

While the resolution would help the Spirit keep Rodman, sources indicated the change is “bigger than one player,” and no contract has been agreed to or guaranteed between the team and player.

Spirit president of operations Haley Carter made the clearest argument for change before talk of introducing the new mechanism: “The reality is, our current salary cap structure, it was built for a different era of women’s soccer. This is a global game.”

The salary cap reached $3.5 million in 2025 after adding $200,000 from revenue shares. With a roster of 22 players, that number makes it impossible to pay any one player more than $1 million without sacrificing other player contracts.

The new mechanism would help NWSL teams compete with growing investment and interest from clubs abroad like Chelsea, who obtained both Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave and Alyssa Thompson from Angel City earlier this year.

While the “High Impact Player” mechanism sounds similar to the league’s previous allocation money feature, which is being phased out by 2026, the latter was used freely on any transaction but had stipulations that made using it complicated. This would also not be the NWSL version of Major League Soccer’s Designated Player rule. The MLS mechanism allows teams to spend without limit on three players, while NWSL’s provision would still have a max hit.

While the league seemed optimistic about the resolution last week, the upcoming board meeting will be the true measure of how real this change is.

Government intervention for Rodman

When it comes to Rodman’s next contract, there is still that open grievance filed by the players association on her behalf. It claims the NWSL violated multiple aspects of the collective bargaining agreement when it vetoed the previous offer from the Spirit to Rodman. The new mechanism wouldn’t change that filing, and the NWSL has until Wednesday to sustain or deny the grievance in writing.

And now, the government is getting involved via the Democratic Women’s Caucus. Led by Rep. Emily Randall (Washington state), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts) and Rep. Kathy Castor (Florida), the caucus sent an open letter to Berman on Thursday concerning that veto and whether it violated the CBA. The letter said Congress has an interest in the situation via its oversight of federal labor law compliance, as well as its focus on player safety in the NWSL following the 2021 abuse scandal.

“We are compelled to take seriously any allegation that the terms of a duly negotiated CBA are not being upheld,” the letter stated.

Much like the NWSLPA’s argument for its grievance over Rodman’s free agency, the Democratic Women’s Caucus expressed concern to Berman, including that the league not following the CBA would set a “precedent” and undermine “confidence in the NWSL’s governance.” The caucus requested regular updates from the NWSL.

While Rodman’s next move was always going to be a topic of discussion, this situation has definitely escaped the confines of women’s soccer.

Meg’s Corner: NWSL has changed its rules before

The NWSL has been through its fair share of rule changes — and while this change in approach to the salary cap could immediately become one of the most consequential for the league, it’s actually just the latest attempt at figuring out some form of allocation when it comes to big-name players.

Back when the league was founded, the roster rules were built around two key priorities: keeping top talent — primarily the USWNT players of the time — in the U.S. and building a sustainable league that could survive past three seasons. U.S. Soccer stepped in on both fronts, subsidizing salaries via allocated players and providing the league’s administration staff. As the NWSL grew and U.S. Soccer’s oversight became more of a hindrance than a help, the league shifted from allocated players to allocation money, moving the financial burden to the teams themselves.

At the end of the day, though, whatever form allocation takes, it’s still not the perfect solution to the problem at hand. Competition from a handful of European teams has only compounded the problem facing the NWSL, and that competition will only grow. The NWSL has edged closer, at least, with this proposed rule change, moving from a hard salary cap to one with exceptions.

As Paul Tenorio, who saw this play out in MLS with David Beckham and Lionel Messi, said on “Full Time” last week: There will always need to be an exception. But the simple answer still remains, and it’s easy to understand why the league and owners are resisting it: more money for the players.

🎧 ICYMI: The “Full Time” podcast tackled what this moment means for the league.

Need to Know

NWSL free-agency moves

Other players are signing deals this offseason. We promise it’s not just Rodman.

The Chicago Stars strengthened their goalkeeper pool by re-signing former U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher to a one-year deal. Next year will mark the 37-year-old’s 11th season with the organization. “I feel like I still have more to give,” said the two-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist. The team also added goalkeeper Katie Lund from Racing Louisville.

Meanwhile, Gotham FC is keeping some star power, re-signing 30-year-old forward Midge Purce through 2026. Purce, who has been with the club for the last five years and helped it win two NWSL titles, announced her extension via Women’s Health.

Another U.S. goalkeeper is on the move, as Casey Murphy signed with expansion club Boston Legacy FC following five years with the North Carolina Courage. ESPN reported that the four-year deal was worth a lucrative $1.5 million for the 29-year-old.

Other than Rodman, a few of the eye-catching names still available in free agency include: U.S forward Sophia Wilson, who does have a player option available with the Portland Thorns, Swedish right back Hanna Lundkvist, who has interest from Manchester United, and Racing Louisville’s Ary Borges.

All that to say, I don’t expect any silent nights in the transfer market any time soon.

What to Watch

📺 Champions League: All of the games!

Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+

Eighteen of the best teams in Europe have been battling it out in the first league phase of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. If you’re just catching up, the top four teams — currently Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, Chelsea and Juventus — advance automatically to the quarterfinals. (But none of those teams have clinched that spot.) The next eight teams move on to a knockout playoff phase. Paris Saint-Germain was shockingly eliminated last week, earning just one point through five match days. The reigning champions Arsenal sit in eighth after winning three matches and losing two. They have secured a spot beyond the league phase and could even clinch one of those four top spots on the final day.

With nine games kicking off at the same time, there will be plenty of jostling.

Full Time First Looks

More transfer talk: The European window opens in January, and we already know of at least one player possibly moving: PSG are interested in signing France forward Kelly Gago from Everton in the upcoming window. Everton’s valuation of the 26-year-old striker is around £500K (about $670K), according to sources, representing a significant turnover for Everton, who got the forward from Nantes for a nominal fee.

Adrenaline-pumping fun: Yesterday’s 3-3 draw between Manchester United and Tottenham was an instant classic, even if the coaches refuse to call it a proper rivalry. I love the way Megan Feringa begged to differ: “If anything, this is rivalry at its best: full-throated, inebriating, believing, with all your heart, you are simply better than your opponent.” It was made even more impressive by United’s recent run of crucial matches.

Familiar face: Former NWSL executive Tatjana Haenni will become the first woman to be CEO of a German Bundesliga club after being appointed by RB Leipzig. She starts work with the club on Jan. 1.

Bonus: We like when records are broken around here. It’s even better when no one sees it coming, which is exactly what Texas A&M did when it stunned the previously undefeated Nebraska to advance to the NCAA volleyball Final Four yesterday.

📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo’s women’s sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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