Washington Spirit

Los Angeles Lakers icon Magic Johnson joined Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman in celebrating her tying goal during a 2-1 win over the Portland Thorns on Saturday.

Rodman scored in the 60th minute before running to the sideline and high-fiving Johnson and Spirit majority owner Michele Kang.

TRINITY RODMAN 🗣️

pic.twitter.com/G668CuYZyN

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) September 7, 2024

The Spirit announced on Thursday that Johnson had invested in the club.

His company Magic Johnson Enterprises also holds stakes in the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks as well as the NFL's Washington Commanders and MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kang purchased the Spirit in March 2022 for a then-NWSL record of $35 million following the franchise's win of the 2021 NWSL Championship.

NWSL franchise values have since skyrocketed, with Angel City FC selling majority rights to Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife Willow Bay in July for a record valuation of $250 million.

Over that span the Spirit's popularity has also increased. The NWSL club has upped its average attendance from 5,000 people at the time of Kang's purchase to 14,000 attendees per game, according to the franchise.

Johnson said in a statement that he was "excited to join the Washington Spirit's investor group at such a pivotal time in the club's history.

"Partnering with a visionary like Michele Kang and her team to advance the growth of the Washington Spirit and the NWSL is an incredible opportunity," Johnson said. "I'm excited to join the team and play my part to help elevate this organization."

Part of that excitement has stemmed around the Spirit's success so far in 2024 as the club climbed to 12 wins for the second time in franchise history, and the first time since 2016, with an Aug. 25 against the Kansas City Current.

The Spirit then earned a record 13th win on Saturday thanks to Rodman's tying goal and her assist Leicy Santos' game-winner.

Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos with an electrifying connection!! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Hwbr7R5oGc

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 7, 2024

Rodman recently won gold with the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics after scoring a key goal in the USA's quarterfinal win over Japan.

The 22-year-old forward has scored seven goals and added five assists in 18 starts for the Spirit this season, including her two contributions against the Thorns.

Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune suffered a season-ending torn meniscus, an injury that appears to stem from her throwing out the first pitch before a Washington Nationals game.

Bethune, who was an alternate for the United States women's national team at the 2024 Summer Olympics, was honored along with other Spirit teammates before the Nationals' 5-2 win over the New York Yankees on Aug. 28.

very cool moment 🥇@CroixBethune threw out the first pitch at the @Nationals' game tonight! pic.twitter.com/C4MIWzsLLW

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) August 29, 2024

The Washington Post's Steven Goff reported the 23-year-old injured her knee while making the pitch. Goff noted she previously suffered three ACL injuries in high school and college.

In their announcement, the Spirit said only that the torn meniscus happened "away from training last week." Coach Jonatan Giráldez alluded to the cause after Sunday's 1-1 draw with San Diego Wave FC.

"She had a problem making the first pitch in the baseball game," he told reporters. "She is not going to be available this season. It is part of life. You have to keep going."

Bethune was the third overall pick in the 2024 NWSL draft. She made 17 appearances for Washington and is third on the team in goals (five) while leading the league with 10 assists.

The Spirit are second in the NWSL table with 38 points, six behind the first-place Orlando Pride, and have eight matches left in the regular season.

United States Women's National Team star Trinity Rodman and NFL wide receiver Trinity Benson now share more than just a first name.

TMZ Sports noted Rodman, who is the daughter of basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, confirmed she is dating Benson on an Instagram post she captioned, "Trinity squared."

Dennis Rodman's Daughter, Trinity, Goes IG Official W/ NFL Player Boyfriend | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/7xSQh1GMVx

— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) May 22, 2024

Rodman is known for much more than being the daughter of the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons legend who won five NBA championships. She was the youngest player drafted into the NWSL in the league's history and plays forward for the Washington Spirit.

She helped lead the Spirit to the 2021 NWSL title.

Rodman also has 36 appearances for the USWNT, which is a number that figures to continue increasing in the coming years since she is only 22.

As for Benson, he is currently a free agent this offseason.

He appeared in nine total games for the Detroit Lions during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns and tallied 10 catches for 103 yards.

Chloe Ricketts, 15, has made history as the youngest player to sign a contract with a National Women's Soccer League team after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Washington Spirit on Thursday.

The @WashSpirit signed Ricketts through the @NWSL’s new Under-18 Entry Mechanism. She’s only a sophomore 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/ycHeGVnRJh

— B/R W Sports (@brwsports) March 3, 2023

The midfielder from Dexter, Michigan, narrowly broke the record set by Olivia Moultrie in 2021, who was three days older (15 years, 286 days) when she signed her contract with Portland Thorns FC. Moultrie went on to have a solid 2022 season with three goals and four assists in 14 appearances.

Ricketts first got a tryout as a non-roster player in the Spirit's January training camp and impressed enough to earn a deal through the NWSL's Under-18 Entry Mechanism. She will earn a full roster spot and can't be traded or waived until she is at least 18 years old.

"The opportunity to join the Washington Spirit on a professional contract is a dream come true," Ricketts said in the team's release. "I'm looking forward to continuing my development as a player and individual with the great resources here in the District. Having the chance to work with Dawn Scott (Performance, Medical and Innovation) and Head Coach Mark Parsons as I begin my professional career is exciting, and I can't wait to do my part in contributing to the club's success… Now, let's go win another championship!"

Still just a high school sophomore, Ricketts must live with a parent or legal guardian until she turns 18.

Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman will be the highest-paid player in the history of the National Women's Soccer League after signing a new four-year deal worth $1.1 million, per Caitlin Murray of ESPN.

The club announced the extension Wednesday, keeping the forward under team control through 2024 with an option for 2025. Though terms of the deal were not disclosed, her agency, Octagon Soccer, noted the new record:

Congrats to @trinity_rodman on signing a landmark deal with the @WashSpirit and becoming the highest-paid player in @NWSL HISTORY! 👏 pic.twitter.com/igmckoyFz9

— Octagon Soccer (@octagonsoccer) February 2, 2022

The 19-year-old is set to make $281,000 annually, per Emily Caron of Sportico, topping the $250,000 salary of United States women's national team stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe.

Rodman accepted her first call-up with the USWNT in January and could get her first cap at the SheBelieves Cup later this month.

The daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NWSL draft. She exceeded expectations with seven goals and seven assists in 25 games (22 starts), earning the league's Rookie of the Year award. She also helped the Spirit win their first championship with a win over the Chicago Red Stars in the title game.

With the NWSL agreeing to its first-ever collective bargaining agreement on Monday, teams are now allowed to increase certain salaries using allocation money, moving beyond the max salary of $75,000.

Rodman becomes the biggest beneficiary of the change as she looks to become one of the league's brightest stars.

"We're incredibly excited to have Trin as a part of the Spirit family for at least the next three seasons," Spirit head coach Kris Ward said in the release. "She has a truly special career ahead of her and makes us a better club on all fronts."

The Spirit will be back in action for the 2022 Challenge Cup in March before the start of the NWSL regular season.    

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The NWSL's weirdest, most twisting, and in some ways darkest season yet came to a close today with what would have seemed an impossible result two months ago: The Washington Spirit, the team that's undergone some of the most turmoil in these last few months, are first-time champions.

To briefly sum up that turmoil, head coach Richie Burke was fired following an investigation into allegations of abuse detailed in reporting by the Washington Post. Soon, fans and players began calling for part-owner Steve Baldwin, who brought Burke in from his daughter's club team, to sell his shares of the team to co-owner Michele Kang, touching off an ugly and ongoing public battle. Then in late August, the Spirit took a huge hit in the standings after COVID-19 protocols forced them to forfeit two games.

After all that—and after going down a goal to Chicago late in the first half—they did it.

Throughout the first half, Chicago was the more dangerous side. They continued doing their Chicago thing, sitting obstinately deep in a 4-1-4-1 in defense, forcing Spirit attacks wide and shutting down attackers one-on-one as they looked for openings into the 18. The Red Stars are, above all, an extremely organized defensive side; they've sucked the life out of some really dangerous teams this season, including the top-seeded Thorns last week.

In contrast with what we've often seen from them, they also committed numbers forward, giving them the opportunity to pick up second balls in the 18. Mallory Pugh—absent last week thanks to COVID-19 protocol—was dangerous on both sides of the ball, often dropping deep to defend on the left wing, then cutting inside to set up teammates when the Red Stars regained possession. On the opposite flank, Rachel Hill had a similarly good work rate and managed to dribble past Tegan McGrady to send in a cross a handful of times. Late in first-half stoppage time, it was Hill who found the end of a cross by Arin Wright at the far post to head in the opening goal.

Ominously, though, Chicago lost two important players—Vanessa DiBernardo in the 13th minute, then Pugh at halftime—to injury in that first half. Losing Pugh, especially, boded poorly for what was to come.

The Spirit came out swinging, with rookie Trinity Rodman finding more of the ball and taking cracks from distance or playing teammates in. What enabled Rodman's increased participation, though, was deeper on the field, as forward Ashley Hatch dropped further back in defense to add a fourth body to a previously outnumbered Spirit midfield.

"We had to make some changes," said Red Stars midfielder Morgan Gautrat postgame, "and any time you make changes, you have a different flow to the game...with Hatch dropping into the midfield a bit more, it becomes overloaded, four vs. three."

Once they'd cracked Chicago's defensive block open, the Spirit sent in wave after wave of offense; they would end the half with 17 shots, compared to nine in the first half, 12 of which were from inside the box. In the 67th minute, Tierna Davidson fouled Tara McKeown in the box in a last-ditch defensive effort, conceding a penalty, which Andi Sullivan calmly placed low to the right side of keeper Cassie Miller.

With the game level, Chicago's sit-and-absorb strategy became a lot riskier. The Red Stars were already missing one of their forwards in Kealia Watt, who suffered an injury in the semifinal. With Pugh on the bench, their attacking options were few. Postgame, Chicago head coach Rory Dames added that Hill had picked up a knock in the first half and "pushed through another 20 [or] 25 minutes." The momentum was firmly on Washington's side.

Sure enough, in the first half of extra time, Rodman sent a killer long ball to the far post for Kelley O'Hara, who headed it in for her first goal of the season. Chicago found a couple of promising looks in garbage time, but thanks partially to luck and partially to championship MVP Aubrey Bledsoe, the Spirit staved off penalties.

There's no player who epitomizes the Spirit better than the 19-year-old Rodman, who flipped into sicko mode in the second half. Some of her shots would have looked like frustration shots coming from a different player, but Rodman has such ferocity and swagger that you get the impression she believes—correctly—that she could put one away from 25 yards at any moment.

At the end of a long, strange, sometimes painful season for the Spirit, it's that refusal to roll over that put them over the line.

"The resiliency and perseverance of this team is pretty incredible," said O'Hara postgame. "It's something I haven't seen from a team I've been on."

Trinity Rodman got a huge surprise when her father, NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, attended her NWSL playoff game Sunday. The 19-year-old Washington Spirit forward opened up about her relationship with her father in an emotional Instagram post.

"This last game was an extremely emotional one. Yes Dennis Rodman showed up to an Nwsl game, but also my dad, after YEARS surprised me at a big game in my career, I was shocked, overwhelmed, happy, sad, everything," Trinity wrote.

"My dad doesn't play a big role in my life at all and most people don't know that, we don't see eye to eye on many things," she continued. "I go months if not years without his presence or communication. Being in spotlights has been hard for us, him and me."

The Spirit topped the North Carolina Courage 1-0 to advance in the NWSL playoffs. Trinity shared an embrace with her father after the game, which was the picture she posted.

"We don't have the best relationship, but at the end of the day he's human I'm human… he's my dad, and I'm his little girl that will never change I will improve and look forward everyday as I hope he does," her post concluded.

The Spirit will face OL Reign in the semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Multiple players have accused former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke of verbal and emotional abuse, according to a report by Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post.

The National Women's Soccer League club announced Tuesday that Burke was stepping down as head coach amid "health concerns" and was being re-assigned to the front office. He was reportedly fired by the organization Wednesday, according to Meg Linehan of The Athletic, after the Washington Post story was released.

Former Spirit player Kaiya McCullough said that Burke not only screamed at her constantly during training sessions but also made racially insensitive jokes toward her.

"I was 100 percent in a situation where I was being emotionally abused by Richie," McCullough told Hensley-Clancy. "He created this environment where I knew I wasn’t playing as well, because I was so, so scared to mess up and be yelled at. It crippled my performance, and it made me super anxious."

"He made me hate soccer," she added.

The former UCLA star left the team in September 2020 to play in Germany, explaining at the time that the move served as a "mental health break," via BBC Sport.

"I just wanted to put myself in a position to be the absolute best that I could be, and in the environment I was in I just didn't think that was happening for me," McCullough said.

Two other former Spirit players told the Washington Post they left the club because of Burke, describing him as "abusive." They have chosen to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

Burke had been Washington's coach since 2018 and led the squad to a 5-3-5 record to begin the 2021 season. He previously served as the head coach of D.C. United's Under-23 team before moving to the NWSL.

   

Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL draft, scored a 60th-minute goal in her league debut in a 3-2 loss to the Carolina Courage on Saturday in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

Trinity Rodman scores on her NWSL debut 🔥 @brfootball

She's the youngest player drafted in league history and the daughter of former NBA star Dennis (via @NWSL) pic.twitter.com/aVVRMkNVh7

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 10, 2021

The 18-year-old replaced striker Kumi Yokoyama (who scored earlier in the match) in the 55th minute.

Five minutes later, she took an excellent pass from midfielder Natalie Jacobs and made history by becoming the youngest-ever goalscorer in the league's existence.

The youngest 🇺🇸 goalscorer in league history. pic.twitter.com/kojHkQkw4h

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 10, 2021

Rodman was set to play soccer at Washington State beginning in the fall of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the season. She decided to turn pro instead and became the youngest-ever player drafted in NWSL history.

"My mind was already there before I even went to college, but then as soon as I got there I realized that I could totally be pushed to a higher level," Rodman told Caitlin Murray of The Guardian. "Why wouldn't you want to take an opportunity to get better than you would have in college?"

Rodman is already quite good. Of note, she scored nine goals (including five against Honduras in group play) for Team USA at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. She added two goals apiece in a 6-0 semifinal win over Honduras and a 4-1 victory over Mexico.

Rodman is the daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. She and the rest of the Spirit are set to take the pitch next against Racing Louisville to continue NWSL Challenge Cup play. The match will start Thursday at 7 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C.'s Audi Field.