Catarina Macario’s U.S. women’s national team return is down to one last step, but it’s a big step indeed.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the USWNT’s first of two friendlies against the Republic of Ireland, head coach Vlatko Andonovski said it comes down to whether her recovery from a torn ACL last year is far enough along that she can play in games.
“First, we need to see performance,” said Andonovski when asked about whether her missing this last pre-World Cup camp could cost her a place on his roster this summer. “We have to see her on the field… Cat has to get back in a professional environment, play professional games, competitive games, games that matter.”
Macario suffered her injury last June during Lyon’s final Division 1 Féminine match of the 2021-22 season, and has not played since. Back in early February, Andonovski said that she was on track to play for Lyon sometime in March. That timeline included expectations that she would be available for this USWNT camp.
However, as of their most recent game (a 7-0 win over Le Havre this past Sunday), Macario hasn’t yet returned for Lyon, even as an unused substitute.
Departure from past tournaments
For Andonovski, there seems to be a clear line at this point: players that go to the World Cup need to be able to play high-level minutes before they step onto the plane.
“We all know that Cat has the potential to be one of the best players in the world. We could all see that a year ago, but we don’t know good she is right now. Nobody does,” explained Andonovski. “Until we get a chance to evaluate that, we can’t make any decisions about her. If she proves that she can be in this environment, and we believe she can help us win a World Cup, then she can [be considered].”
That stands in contrast to how Andonovski handled the Olympics in 2021, with Julie Ertz arriving in Tokyo while still in the recovery phase from a sprained MCL. Ertz was initially left out of their shock opening loss to Sweden, but came on at halftime and then played the remaining minutes as the USWNT went on to claim a bronze medal.
However, she hasn’t played since, and while the bulk of that time away was due to her pregnancy, she was also unable to return to the Chicago Red Stars in the more immediate aftermath of the Olympics.
Andonovski has, over recent months, noted a willingness to possibly bring one player whose recovery timeline overlaps the very start of the World Cup. It’s just that there’s a big difference between someone overcoming, say, the three- or four-week rehab process for an ankle sprain when compared to Macario’s recovery from a far more serious and long-term injury.
The Ertz situation is therefore not a direct comparison, as her MCL sprain was suffered roughly two months before the Olympics began. That’s hardly ideal, but a player out for a few weeks will be closer to USWNT-ready than one who has been out for much longer.
Macario has five more chances to meet Andonovski’s requirement and play in competitive matches before the World Cup roster is finalized. Lyon has four more D1F matches left to play:
- April 16 – vs. Paris FC
- May 6 – at Dijon FCO
- May 20 – at Paris Saint-Germain
- May 27 – vs. Stade de Reims
They also play PSG in the Coupe de France final on May 13. However, Macario’s path to more minutes may be complicated by the needs of the team. Chelsea knocked Lyon out of the Champions League in an unreal spectacle, which means the team has at least two fewer games to navigate.
Manager Sonia Bompastor would have likely opted for at least some rotation, but now she has at least one week between every single remaining match for players to recover. On top of that, Lyon leads D1F by just one point over PSG, meaning Bompastor will have less freedom to dole minutes out to players who may not be at their very best.
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