USWNT transfer grades: Rodman, Heaps, Macario and more moves

nwslThe first transfer window to incorporate the league’s new “Rodman Rule” closed with a bang on Monday.

US women’s national team Forward Catarina Macario has joined the San Diego Wave, Sources confirmed to ESPNOn a deal until 2030, she is worth around $8 million and is believed to be the largest cumulative contract in women’s football. The Wave will use the NWSL’s new rule to pay Macario.

The High Impact Player rule has been dubbed the “Rodman Rule” because it was instituted in December to ensure that Trinity remained with Rodman. washington spirit. Sources have confirmed that Rodman is being paid a total of over $2 million annually, making him the highest paid player globally on an annual basis.

Those two signings – Macario and Rodman – highlight a typically chaotic and busy offseason for the NWSL, especially when it comes to USWNT players. (Rodman never really went anywhere, but his contract saga was the story of the offseason.)

Which USWNT players and which teams made big moves and great deals? Let’s get to the report card!

Note: All statistics are from ESPN’s reporting, except those confirmed by teams.

– NWSL Power Rankings: Portland moves to No. 1 in first week of 2026
– NWSL Ambition Rankings: Which 16 clubs are doing enough?
– USWNT’s predicted 2027 Women’s World Cup starting lineup

$300,000 transfer from Chelsea

Grade for Macario: A
Grade for San Diego: A

espn reported last month That the Wave were going to sign Macario, possibly on a free transfer for the summer, but making a deal now for $300,000 is good business for a Wave team that needs a No. 9 to consistently carry the scoring load. Look no further than their opening weekend loss houston dashIn which San Diego controlled the midfield and created ample chances, only to be shut out. (Feels like 2025?)

It’s reasonable to pay $300,000 to acquire Macario a few months early, and the $8 million compensation package is stretched enough that, with the new HIP rule, the annual cap hit should be manageable.

As for Macario, how could she be wrong here? San Diego is his home after moving there from Brazil in 2011 at age 12, and Wave Train is next door to Macario’s youth club, San Diego Surf. espn first reported The desire to return home played a major role in Macario’s decision.

Macario left Stanford after a stellar college career to sign her first professional deal with Lyon in 2021, and then moved to Chelsea in 2023. She returned to San Diego to stay healthy and productive before playing a major role for them with the USWNT at the 2027 World Cup in her native Brazil.

trinity rodman Re-signing with Washington Spirit

Grade for Rodman: A
Grade for Soul: A

Anyway, go get the bag.

Rodman and Spirit collectively pushed the NWSL to do what was needed: a better way to pay star players. This is considered a big win for the player and the club. Marks an inflection point for the NWSL.

Whatever the HIP rule is in arbitration – the NWSL Players Association has Challenged eligibility criteria As a violation of the CBA – there will be an NWSL before and after the Rodman deal. Macario’s lucrative contract is further proof of this.

Rodman always wanted to live with Spirit; She just wanted to get her value. That got him a record deal. Now Rodman is in a position to become a team’s star player and a major contributor, which would not have been guaranteed if he had gone abroad.

Thanks to the accounting wizardry of new president of football operations Haley Carter, Washington also managed to structure the massive contract in a way that didn’t blow over their salary cap. Be that as it may, it was a win-win-win.

game

Trinity Rodman: Record contract ‘another step forward for women’s football’

Washington Spirit and USWNT star Trinity Rodman joins “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss her record contract and the future of women’s soccer in America.

Free transfer from OL Lyon (summer arrivals)

Grade for pile: A
Grade for Denver: A-

You really couldn’t write a better script than this for Heaps, who grew up just outside Denver and still makes his home there. She left home in 2012 at age 18 to turn professional, the first American woman to pursue this path straight out of high school, more than a decade before it became the norm.

He spent most of his career in France, in between a successful MVP-level stint with the Portland Thorns and now she will come home this summer As a 32-year-old woman leading her new, ambitious hometown club.

This move is not an easy move for Denver from a business standpoint. Heaps is a USWNT captain with name value – especially at the local level. On the field, she is also a player that Summit can develop, and she will bring much-needed leadership to an expansion team moving into the league for the first time.

Of course, the problem is that Heaps won’t arrive until the summer, making the integration more difficult, but this is clearly a big picture move for Denver and Heaps.

The payment should come in 2027, Heaps’ first full season with the team (and, notably, fellow Colorado native) Sophia Wilson Will become a free agent again at the end of this year).

$1.1 million transfer from Kansas City Current

Grade for Hutton: B+
Grade for Bay FC: A+

Hutton became an overnight star as a teenager in Kansas City – in our humble opinion, the NWSL’s best teenager – and it catapulted her into the USWNT picture. At this time, he is certain to be on the World Cup roster, and Will likely challenge for starting role.

Credit for that progress goes first and foremost to the more mature Hutton, and those first two years of development under Vlatko Andonovski. (Hutton, who grew up in Albany, NY, turned professional after training in Kansas City Gotham FC.)

Hutton actually had some good things going for him in Kansas City, including legitimate championship contention. But Andonovski is now sporting director and things have changed.

Hutton’s rising stardom attracted the attention of both domestic and overseas suitors in the off-season, and her regular minutes with the USWNT in 2025 make her eligible for the HIP rule, making her a potentially attractive option. His previous contract also expired at the end of 2026. A move to Kansas City seemed inevitable.

At Bay, he will also be thrust into leadership roles, which could help him at the international level. Bay FC is desperate for direction on the field since the team’s launch in 2024, and the team is in particular need of a midfield general who can help them direct games.

Going out and acquiring Hutton perfectly fills a huge need and, importantly, it signals intent and ambition that could rub off on future signings. For Bay, it was like paying whatever they’re asking for, and he got it done.

$1 million transfer from Washington Spirit

Grades for Bethune: A-
Grade for Kansas City: A-

Bethune, 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year, leading with spirit – and at his request — came as a surprise. She was an integral part of the Spirit’s back-to-back runner-up finishes (even despite injuries as a rookie) and it looked like she would be a key component to another run at the title with Rodman this year.

However, Bethune repeatedly stated upon his arrival in Kansas City that he felt he needed to make a move to further his career. A goal in his Kansas City debut in Saturday’s season-opener was certainly a sweet form of early return on the move.

For Kansas City, Bethune could be a long-term option who adds creative flair to their midfield. There is some concern about Bethune and Debinha Occupying the same spots on the field, but these are Champagne problems, and 34-year-old Debinha won’t be around forever (or maybe she will, if Marta is a sign)

In a vacuum, Bethune is a great addition to the present. In the context of losing Hutton in a simultaneously announced deal, the current key midfield collectively have some questions to ask. It can’t be denied that from a cash perspective this was some smart business for Current: they lost Hutton and acquired Bethune for a net gain of $100,000.

game

Croix Bethune gets on the scoresheet for Kansas City Current

Croix Bethune gets on the scoresheet for Kansas City Current

Undisclosed fee from Paris Saint-Germain

Grade for Gatineau: A
Grade for Denver: A-

Gattino is a rising USWNT defender who has been playing with PSG since turning professional in early 2024. Their return to the States is perfectly timed to coincide with the launch of a new team and expose them to a competitive environment on a weekly basis under the eyes of USWNT coach Emma Hayes.

In Denver, Gatineau will be paired with experienced NWSL centre-backs kaleigh kurtzWhich provides a great apprenticeship for Gattino’s entry into the league.

For Denver, Gatineau could be a building block for the future on the back line as he comes in on a three-year deal. Gattino brings U.S. national team experience, which Denver has obviously used to shape its roster, while adding years of European experience to his belt. Add this to another big addition to the growing USWNT fullback — ayo okWho ESPN previously reported came via a $450,000 transfer from Pachuca — and puts Denver in a strong position as an expansion team.

$875,000 transfer from Portland Thorns

Grade for coffee: A
Grade for thorns: B-

Sam Coffey’s offseason transfer from the Portland Thorns to Manchester City was a one-year deal, motivated by Coffey’s desire to complete and experience his game in England. Coffey, already a starting midfielder for the USWNT and a top NWSL midfielder, will now push herself beyond her comfort zone in Manchester.

In that respect, the Thorns were in a difficult position. Blocking the move was logically not an option, and losing their captain – the soul of the team – was always going to leave an irreparable void. This effectively stuck them trying Get the best possible fee For coffee, and they did fine there.

As seven-figure transfers become more routine, it’s easy to question why this fee wasn’t higher, but consider that Coffey is a defensive midfielder – hardly the prolific goalscorer more likely to command a big fee – and it’s still a top-10 global transfer.

The real problem for the Thorns is that they had ample time to plan for Coffey’s departure – just as they had time to hire a coach early – but a solution is still in progress. In the meantime, Coffee’s absence will be felt.