NWSL’s high-impact player rule: A look at USWNT stars and world talent who could be eligible • CBS Sports Headlines

The NWSL introduced the high-impact player rule on Tuesday, a mechanism intended to attract and keep top players in the league — if a complicated one.

Starting July 1, the league’s teams will be able to exceed the salary cap by $1 million, rather than simply adding to the cap in a move that the NWSL Players Association has advocated for. The players eligible for the new rule, though, cannot simply be selected at the team’s discretion. The rule’s language includes detailed criteria that players must meet in order to qualify for the high-impact rule, the list of items ranging from international minutes played to end-of-year awards and media recognition.

The NWSL requires that players meet just one of seven criteria, which technically creates a long list of talent for clubs to choose from. The eligible players are the usual suspects for a rule such as this one — free agent Trinity Rodman qualifies for it, as do the likes of Marta and Esther Gonzalez. Yet, the net may not actually be wide enough for a lot of players who would reasonably be considered top quality, outlining some flaws in the NWSL’s first attempt to create a more competitive salary structure.

Criteria for NWSL’s high-impact player rule

• Player is on SportsPro Media Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes within the one (1) year prior to the current league season; or,
• Player is selected in the Top 30 in Ballon d’Or voting in the two (2) years prior to the current league season; or
• Player is selected in the Top 40 of the Guardian Top 100 football players in the world in the two (2) years prior; or
• Player is selected in the Top 40 of ESPN FC Top 50 football players in the world in the two (2) years prior; or
• Top 11 minutes played for the USWNT in the prior two (2) calendar years for field players for all competition types; or
• Top one (1) in minutes played for USWNT in the prior two (2) calendar years for goalkeepers for all competition types; or
• Player selected as NWSL MVP Finalist within previous the two (2) league seasons; or
• Player selected to the End of Year NWSL Best XI First Team within the previous two (2) league seasons

Players eligible in five to seven categories

Whether it was by design or not, the high-impact player rule seems tailor made to accommodate the Washington Spirit’s attempts to re-sign Rodman, which fueled the conversation around the salary cap in the first place. Rodman is the only player eligible via all criteria, though players are only required to check one box off the list. Here, she’s joined by a handful of the NWSL’s top players, the list of criteria benefitting the league’s best performers, though they have easily earned applause from international awards bodies and media. U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Horan, meanwhile, falls in five categories on the back of her work with OL Lyonnes and on the international stage. Sophia Wilson’s 2024 showing, which included a nomination for the NWSL’s MVP award and a starring role in the USWNT’s Olympic gold medal-winning run, allowed her to stay eligible despite spending all of 2025 on maternity leave.

Players eligible in three to four categories

Here, there’s a healthier mix of NWSL talent and players who have excelled for club teams abroad like USWNT standout Coffey and three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati. Like Wilson, Swanson’s 2024 performance allowed her to stay in the running despite also going on maternity leave in 2025. Alyssa Naeher is also eligible thanks to her success in 2024, her final year with the national team before announcing her international retirement, but she is bolstered by a quirk of the high-impact player rule – only one USWNT goalkeeper can qualify through the minutes played category, and she has the most minutes of any shot-stopper despite opting out before the 2025 schedule began. Head coach Emma Hayes’ choice to rotate through her options in a year without a major tournament had plenty of sporting merit, but the NWSL’s construction of the new rule has disadvantaged the team’s other goalkeepers.

Players eligible in one to two categories

As arbitrary as it seems to include media-generated rankings, some of these lists may have actually saved the NWSL’s skin by ensuring a lot of players eligible for the high-impact rule. USWNT defender Naomi Girma is only eligible for the new rule because she cracked the top 40 of The Guardian and ESPN’s list in the last two years and the same goes for Colombia standout Linda Caicedo. Barcelona’s Vicky Lopez, who won the Kopa Trophy this year, and Women’s Euro young player of the tournament Michelle Agyemang, also only made the cut through their inclusion on these lists, a signal that the high-impact rule may exclude the game’s rising talents at times.

Select players who did not make the cut

There are some surprising names who are not currently eligible under the high-impact player rule, chief among them USWNT attacker Catarina Macario, who ESPN reports is receiving interest from clubs in the NWSL. Granted, many NWSL teams already have players who do qualify and can likely shift one of those players to a new-look contract in order to accommodate a player like Macario but the limitations of the rule are hard to ignore. Macario was unable to check off any of the boxes because she spent multiple years recovering from an ACL injury, while a similar injury has also deemed USWNT defender Tierna Davidson ineligible. Phallon Tullis-Joyce, a likely successor to Naeher as the USWNT’s first-choice goalkeeper, is also out of the running because of the constructs around shot-stoppers while rising USWNT talent Ally Sentnor does not make the cut. Most glaringly, though, is the exclusion of Lizbeth Ovalle – she was the subject of a record transfer fee when the Orlando Pride signed her from Tigres in August but she did not meet the NWSL’s criteria, raising questions about why teams should not be able to utilize the high-impact player rule at their discretion.

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