After a whirlwind 2024, USWNT and Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman has been catching the attention of club teams around the world.

Now entering her contract's final year, the 2021 Rookie of the Year's name has come up amid the recent wave of NWSL departures. Subsequently, speculation about the Olympic gold medalist's future is making headlines both at home and abroad. 

But Rodman herself isn't letting the noise get to her. Instead, she's been laser-focused on getting back to the pitch at 100% fitness after lingering back injuries impacted the latter half of the 22-year-old's season.

"The off-season was a great reset for me, mentally and physically," Rodman told Just Women’s Sports at NWSL Media Day in January. "I got to do a lot of physical therapy, which was nice. I got to be with family, and right now I'm just focused on not jumping right back into it."

Recovering from a taxing 2024 NWSL season

Rodman is known as a player whose motion on and off the ball can confuse defenders, running with a fearlessness that makes her even more dangerous on the attack.

But she's also had trouble balancing her style of play with ongoing pain in her torso. For years, the pain seemed to pass after hard contact, but it escalated last September when she had to exit a match by wheelchair.

Rodman returned to the Spirit ahead of the 2024 NWSL playoffs. But later, she mentioned that her back issues were still in play after the Spirit fell to the Orlando Pride in the 2024 NWSL Championship game. She went on to say that the injury had been haunting her since the US won gold at the Paris Olympics.

"That's not an excuse, but I wasn't the Trin that I wanted to be today," she said at the time.

But for a player that gets joy out of every moment on the pitch, taking a step back to get herself healthy has been a learning process.

Alongside "Triple Espresso" teammates Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, Rodman has chosen to take time off from the last couple USWNT camps. And she credits her coaching staff for keeping her on the road to recovery.

"[I'm] just kind of progressing slowly," she told JWS. "Even if I feel good, I don't want to set it back again and be in a bad position."

Speedy Rodman learns to slow things down

Despite her off-field efforts, balancing rest with the needs of her team hasn't been easy.

"It's still very difficult, especially once you get later on in the season," she said. "There's not those moments where you can say, 'Oh, I need to sit out this game,' because every game is important."

"I definitely don't have it down yet, trying to figure out that balance. But I'm learning, and I'm trying to get better at communicating with the medical team and with my coaches."

For a Washington Spirit team that finished second in both the 2024 NWSL table and postseason, getting players healthy could take the team to new heights. The Spirit lost numerous starters throughout the 2024 season, including Rookie and Defender of the Year Croix Bethune, captain Andi Sullivan, and starting forward Ouleye Sarr.

Of course, Rodman is just as ready to see her teammates back on the pitch as she is herself.

"I'm very excited that people are coming back from injury — Andi's journey, Ouleye's journey, Croix's journey, being able to hopefully see them back sooner than later," she said. "So far, even just this first week, the energy has been great. We're very together already, and going off last season, I think we set a really good foundation."

Despite injuries, consistency is key

A year without a major tournament involving the USWNT gives Rodman and her teammates time to gel. It also provides Rodman time to get ahead of the pain that has been following her for much of her career.

Last week, she told gathered media that USWNT manager Emma Hayes is planning to hire a specialist to help her continue to strengthen her back, describing it as "a hard location of injury."

With a stronger physical foundation, Rodman is eager to put injury woes behind her and focus on her game. But the 2024 NWSL MVP finalist is also realistic. She acknowledges that she might not be grinding out full 90-minute performances during the early season, if that's deemed detrimental to her long-term health. 

These days, Rodman is committed to developing consistency as a player. She places as much emphasis on being a playmaker as putting the ball in the back of the net. And if the immediate future limits her to leading from the sideline, she's all in.

"I don't need to be the person that's scoring three goals every game, but just making an impact in any way that I can, even if that's in games where I'm getting pulled out earlier," she said. "I'm excited to see how I grow in that way of celebrating other people, and being able to play at my highest level when I'm in the game."

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

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With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

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How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

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NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."