USWNT stars face 2026 choices as contracts expire and NWSL's HIP rule begins

Goal reports several leading USWNT players are set to make key decisions in 2026 as club contracts expire and the NWSL's new "High Impact Player" rule comes into effect. The league announced the HIP rule will allow teams to spend up to $1 million above the salary cap on qualifying players beginning in 2026, a move opposed by the NWSL Players Association, which told ESPN it would take action "to enforce the rights of the Players we represent." The change followed the league denying Trinity Rodman's multiyear deal.

Player situations vary: ESPN said NWSL clubs are monitoring Cat Macario as her Chelsea contract expires on July 1 and she becomes eligible to sign a pre-contract on Jan. 1, 2026; Macario has spent her club career in Europe, recording seven goals and 35 appearances for Chelsea and three assists this season while alternating between starting and substitute roles.

Lindsey Heaps, whose OL Féminin contract also expires this summer, has been linked to a return to Colorado — though "there has been no official indication that a move will materialize." Heaps had 12 goals in 2024-25 and three so far this campaign; she previously was NWSL MVP in 2018 and helped Portland win a 2017 Championship, and said on the Women's Game podcast, "I think anyone would want to go play for their respective hometown team...

Key Topics

Sports, Nwsl, High Impact Player, Cat Macario, Lindsey Heaps, Naomi Girma