The NWSL is at a crossroads. As the league and the Washington Spirit hash out the ways to keep Trinity Rodman, a new era of superstar spending, salary cap rules and competition with the global market could be on the horizon.

On this edition of Full Time, host Meg Linehan is joined by The Athletic's senior writers Paul Tenorio and John Hollinger to reflect on how other U.S. sports leagues have handled rethinking their rules in order to keep superstars and what the NWSL needs to learn from those examples.

Is an MLS-style designated player rule something to be embraced or avoided? Why does the NWSL need to think differently about its global market when compared to the NBA? Why could Rodman's next contract similarly change everything like Olivia Moultrie's case against the league did in 2021?

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HOST: Meg Linehan

GUESTS: Paul Tenorio, John Hollinger

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

Tobin Heath clip credit: 'A Touch More Live presented by Delta, Google Pixel, and Volkswagen (Vox Media)'

Link to that show is here

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Referenced on the show:

NWSL said it would fight for Trinity Rodman. It’s only fighting with itself

NWSL can’t keep Trinity Rodman and its current salary cap. It’s up to the league to choose

Trinity Rodman receives contract from Super League team larger than NWSL can match: Sources

Trinity Rodman negotiations explained: Why did NWSL reject the Spirit’s offer and what’s next?

Teen soccer phenom Olivia Moultrie sues NWSL for right to play in league

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

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Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

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The NWSL is at risk of losing one of its biggest superstars. But what exactly is holding back the Washington Spirit from re-signing Trinity Rodman?

On Monday's edition Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic's Meg Linehan to break down the ongoing contract saga that unfolded last week. Why hasn't the NWSL accepted the Spirit's proposed offer to Rodman? Why is the NWSL players' association filing a grievance against the NWSL on Rodman's behalf? Is the Spirit breaking any salary cap rules with their offer to Rodman? Could Rodman head to Europe?

PLUS: Tamerra Griffin checks in from World Sevens Football in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the San Diego Wave took home the title, $2 million and the tournament continued to grab headlines for its ability to create joy and viral soccer moments. And, in the English Women's Super League, Chelsea's 34-match and 585-day undefeated streak finally came to an end with an unlikely 1-0 home defeat to Everton.

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HOST: Jillian Sakovits

GUESTS: Tamerra Griffin, Meg Linehan

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Referenced on the show:

The WSL title race has some juice in it

NWSL can’t keep Trinity Rodman and its current salary cap. It’s up to the league to choose

Trinity Rodman receives contract from Super League team larger than NWSL can match: Sources

San Diego Wave swag surf their way to $2 million prize at World Sevens

Trinity Rodman negotiations explained: Why did NWSL reject the Spirit’s offer and what’s next?

Everton end Chelsea’s 34-match Women’s Super League unbeaten run with 1-0 win

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: here

Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub ⁠⁠here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a very special episode of the Full Time podcast, hosts Tamerra Griffin and Meg Linehan are on the podcast together for the final time in 2025.

To commemorate the occasion, Tamerra and Meg rank their Top 3 moments of 2025 while also ranking the three things they are most hyped about coming up in 2026. After that, the duo answers listeners' questions in one last mailbag to close out the season. From holiday movies that need soccer players in them to future NWSL Championship destinations, you don't want to miss this one.

PLUS: Tamerra and Meg delve into the major NWSL news of the week, which saw Haley Carter join the Washington Spirit as their new President of Soccer Operations, and pressure intensifies on Trinity Rodman's future with the team.

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Referenced on the show

Spirit hires Haley Carter to lead strategic vision and help retain top talent like Trinity Rodman

Copa América Femenina, WAFCON showcase their potential – and a need for more support

Marta won’t exit quietly from NWSL playoffs after Orlando Pride loss: ‘It should not end like this’

Jaedyn Shaw free kick sends No. 8 Gotham FC to NWSL championship with win over Pride

Euro 2025: How ‘small’ Switzerland came to host a tournament that could spark ‘cultural change’

Germany named 2029 women’s European Championship hosts

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HOSTS: Tamerra Griffin, Meg Linehan

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub ⁠⁠here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the USWNT closed out 2025 with two shutouts against Italy. But what did we learn from the two stellar performances in those games, and how do we evaluate this year as a whole for Emma Hayes's team?

On this week's Full Time Review, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic's Tamerra Griffin, who was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Monday night to witness the USWNT's 2-0 win over Italy, to break down what we learned and why the brilliant goals by Cat Macario and Jaedyn Shaw show us just how much those two players have developed for the USWNT this year.

PLUS: Sports Illustrated's Jenna Tonelli also comes on the show to talk about Italy and how, despite their impressive 2025 not quite materializing into a strong showing against the Americans this week, head coach Andrea Soncin will be taking some valuable lessons into next year's World Cup qualifying. Both Tamerra and Jenna also hand out their grades for the USWNT in 2025 as a whole.

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HOST: Jillian Sakovits

GUESTS: Tamerra Griffin, Jenna Tonelli

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Referenced on the show:

Catarina Macario scores again as USWNT shuts out Italy twice to end the year

USWNT’s early scoring and brace from Catarina Macario lift team over Italy

Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati to undergo surgery on fractured leg

England managed a superb, celebratory homecoming. But is the succession plan clear?

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: here

Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub ⁠⁠here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time, the Full Time podcast hosted a live event at the 2025 NWSL Championship in San Jose, CA, where U.S. women's national team legends Briana Scurry and Aly Wagner discussed how the past can shape the future in women's soccer.

Hosted by The Athletic's Meg Linehan and Tamerra Griffin, the conversation touched on the rise and fall of the Women's United Soccer Association, off the back of the hosting and winning the 1999 World Cup, as well as the nuances of why major investors are now entering women's soccer like never before.

We hope you enjoy this first live event podcast recording, which was recorded at The Preserve in downtown San Jose, the morning of the 2025 NWSL Championship final, on November 22, 2025.

Thank you to all who attended and helped to make it happen.

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HOSTS: Tamerra Griffin, Meg Linehan

GUESTS: Briana Scurry, Aly Wagner

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub ⁠⁠here

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It's a blockbuster episode of Full Time, loaded with special guests and legends of women's soccer.

Recorded live from the San Jose Civic in the days leading up to the 2025 NWSL Championship, hosts Tamerra Griffin and Meg Linehan conducted four wide-ranging interviews touching on all parts of the game.

Joining the Full Time pod are former Orlando Pride general manager Haley Carter, 2013 NWSL MVP and 2015 World Cup winner Lauren Holliday, alongside 2025 NWSL Impact Award winner Sam Hiatt, Bay FC co-founder Danielle Slaton, and two-time NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga.

From how to manage a winning team to why community drives the NWSL, from what makes the Bay Area the U.S. hub for women's sports to what drives an MVP to keep winning, this episode has it all.

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Referenced on the show

Lauren Holiday reacts to NWSL naming community impact award after her, emphasizes community

Orlando Pride VP Haley Carter stepping down after 3 seasons

Current forward Temwa Chawinga wins second consecutive NWSL MVP

What makes a great women’s sports city? We ranked the top 10 in the U.S.

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HOSTS: Tamerra Griffin, Meg Linehan

GUESTS: Haley Carter, Lauren Holiday, Sam Hiatt, Danielle Slaton, Temwa Chawinga

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub ⁠⁠here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NJ/NY Gotham FC are the 2025 NWSL Champions. Seemingly, against all odds, the lowest-ever seeded champions just kept on showing up. And now, with two NWSL titles and a Concacaf title across three seasons, is it time to debate if this Gotham team is turning into a dynasty?

On a special episode of Full Time Review, recorded at PayPal Park in San Jose, Meg Linehan, and Tamerra Griffin analyze all the big talking points from Saturday's dramatic NWSL Championship final that finished Gotham 1-0 Washington Spirit. How did Rose Lavelle step up to the big occasion to win her first NWSL Championship? Why did Adrian Gonzalez wait so long to take out an injured Hal Hershfelt? What's next for Trinity Rodman after her season ends with injury woes and a final defeat for the second consecutive year? Why did Juan Carlos Amoros tinker with his team, and how did he mastermind bringing on Bruninha?

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HOSTS: Tamerra Griffin, Meg Linehan

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

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Referenced on the show:

Gotham FC wins NWSL championship on 80th-minute Rose Lavelle goal vs. Spirit

‘Eight years in one’: Spirit and Gotham meet in NWSL Championship after long, packed season

Trinity Rodman receives contract from Super League team larger than NWSL can match: Sources

_______________

Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: here

Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub ⁠⁠here

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Live from the San Jose Civic, it's a very special episode of the Full Time podcast building up to the 2025 NWSL Championship Final in the Bay Area.

Hosts Tamerra Griffin and Meg Linehan take you inside NWSL Awards and Media Day, from the opening two days of events in San Jose, and then dig into commissioner Jess Berman's league address, and the ongoing debates around the salary cap and whether Trinity Rodman will stay in the NWSL.

Then, Gotham FC forward Midge Purce stops by to talk about her journey back to the NWSL Championship and the unrelenting belief her team has. After that, it's time for Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune to open up about what it means for her to play in her first final and the joy she finds in her team's style of play.

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Referenced on the show

Trinity Rodman focuses on NWSL Championship, says ‘and then we’ll see’ about future with Spirit

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman talks salary cap, calendar changes and transgender inclusion

How Jessica Berman, the NWSL’s influential commissioner, faces her toughest tests

USWNT’s Emma Hayes weighs in on Trinity Rodman’s future, NWSL salary cap

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HOSTS: Tamerra Griffin, Meg Linehan

PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes

VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen

_______________

Get in touch: ⁠⁠fulltime@theathletic.com⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram and TikTok: @tafulltime

Subscribe to the Full Time newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports hub ⁠⁠here

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.