Tag: Catarina Macario

Injured USWNT pair Fishel and Macario included in Chelsea USA tour squad

The two forwards are recovering from the effects of torn ACLs

Two U.S. women’s national team forwards got some positive health news this weekend, as Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario were included in Chelsea’s traveling roster for its preseason tour of the United States.

Both players missed the Olympics as they recovered from knee injuries, but the duo was healthy enough for inclusion on Sonia Bompastor’s 28-player roster.

After recovering from a torn ACL that kept her out nearly two years, Macario was forced out of the Olympics with “minor knee irritation.”

Fishel, meanwhile, tore her ACL in training with the USWNT back in February. The forward’s inclusion on Chelsea’s traveling squad is a positive indication that her recovery is progressing well.

Chelsea will play NJ/NY Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on Monday, before heading south for a match against London rival Arsenal at Audi Field in Washington D.C. on August 25.

The Blues are starting their first campaign under Bompastor, who took over as head coach after Emma Hayes departed to take over the USWNT.

Hayes enjoyed instant success in her first foray into the international game, leading the USWNT to an Olympic gold medal last weekend in just her 10th match in charge.

Chelsea Women 2024 USA tour squad

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton, Katie Cox, Zecira Musovic

Defenders: Ashley Lawrence, Alejandra Bernabe, Charlotte Wardlaw, Eve Perisset, Lucy Bronze, Kadeisha Buchanan, Millie Bright, Nathalie Bjorn, Niamh Charles

Midfielders: Erin Cuthbert, Lexi Potter, Maika Hamano, Oriane Jean-Francois, Sjoeke Nusken, Sophie Ingle, Wieke Kaptein

Forwards: Aggie Beever-Jones, Catarina Macario, Guro Reiten
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Lauren James, Lucy Watson, Mayra Ramirez, Mia Fishel, Sandy Baltimore

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USWNT midfielder Macario will miss Olympics with ‘minor knee irritation’

The playmaker is “gutted” as she will miss her second straight major tournament

U.S. women’s national team head coach Emma Hayes has announced that Catarina Macario will miss the Olympics due to “minor knee irritation.”

Lynn Williams, who was named as an alternate on the Olympic roster, will move to the 18-player roster in Macario’s place, while defender Emily Sams has been named as an alternate.

Hayes said at a press conference on Friday that she is “absolutely gutted” for Macario, who will miss her second straight major tournament after also missing the World Cup last summer while recovering from a torn ACL.

The 24-year-old only returned in March from the knee injury that kept her sidelined for the better part of two years. Macario made her first USWNT appearance in two years this April, also playing in one of the team’s two friendlies against South Korea in June.

“She trained the other day, but she had some irritation leading up to that and it reacted,” Hayes said on Macario, a player she coached at Chelsea last season.

“Having been through the last 12 months with her, I know it’s complex. So her welfare comes first and as I said, she’s done everything she can and she’s devastated.”

Hayes added that the injury is “not a long-term situation, just not going to recover in time for the Olympics.”

Williams, who has been part of the USWNT at its last two major tournaments, will step into the roster in place of Macario.

“She’s been a delight to be around,” Hayes said of the NJ/NY Gotham FC winger. “She seems really calm, she’s been here before and I think because she’s been here before, she’s calm and can handle whatever’s there.”

The 31-year-old is a different player than Macario, occupying the wide areas more than the Chelsea star, who does her best work centrally.

Hayes said that with Williams swapped in for Macario, she would have to reexamine what her roster composition would look like.

“Without Cat, I have to think about some different permutations for the team,” Hayes said.

“For us, it’s about now looking towards that, and making sure that everybody else knows what those adjustments might be.”

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USWNT star Macario comes off with injury for Chelsea

This could be a major headache for the USWNT

Chelsea forward Catarina Macario was forced off with an injury in the season’s final match at Manchester United.

Macario went down in the first half as she appeared to be favoring a thigh issue that had been taped up.

The U.S. women’s national team star attempted to play through the issue but after a few minutes, she was forced off in a 41st-minute substitution.

Macario’s injury could be a major worry for the USWNT depending on the severity, with the Olympics kicking off in two months.

The 24-year-old only returned in March from a torn ACL that kept her sidelined for the better part of two years.

Chelsea would win the match 6-0, sealing a fifth straight WSL title in Emma Hayes’ final game before she takes over as USWNT head coach. In a potentially positive sign, Macario could be seen joining in the celebrations at the full-time whistle.

The injury could jeopardize Macario’s availability for Hayes’ first USWNT camp, with the team facing two matches against South Korea on June 1 and June 4.

Following those matches, the USWNT will gather its Olympic roster together for send-off games against Mexico on July 13 and Costa Rica on July 16.

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USWNT star Macario gets assist in first Chelsea start

It’s been 686 days, but Macario is back starting games again

Making a big step after her injury nightmare, Catarina Macario started a match for the first time in 686 days.

The U.S. women’s national team star was on the pitch from kickoff as Chelsea hosted Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League on Wednesday, making her first start for the Blues since joining the club in June 2023.

The 24-year-old would end up logging 70 minutes in a 3-0 win, with the Blues climbing back above Manchester City at the top of the WSL standings on goal difference.

Macario had not started a game anywhere since tearing her ACL in her final appearance with Lyon, all the way back on June 1, 2022.

Since then, Macario has missed a World Cup for the USWNT, and had totaled just 169 minutes of playing time for Chelsea and the U.S. before being named to the starting 11 by Emma Hayes for Villa’s visit.

Villa goalkeeper Anna Leat was sent off after just four minutes for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity after making a save well outside her 18-yard box, helping Macario and the Blues ease into the game.

Aggie Beever-Jones’ 18th-minute volley opened the scoring, and Macario followed that strike up with a clever 38th-minute assist. The USWNT attacker’s near-post heel flick completely caught the visitors’ defense off-guard, setting Japan forward Maika Hamano up for a tap-in.

Despite her lack of playing time, this marked the third assist for Macario since her return, to go with two goals (including one in her first appearance for the club).

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Macario talks ’emotional’ USWNT return alongside Swanson

The pair have returned to the national team after lengthy absences

U.S. women’s national team fans will get a taste of what could have been — and what still could be — during the 2024 SheBelieves Cup.

Catarina Macario and Mallory Swanson were both named to a USWNT roster for the first time since serious knee injuries. For Swanson, it’s been almost exactly a year since her last USWNT appearance. For Macario, almost exactly two years.

Those absences knocked the forwards out of the 2023 World Cup, a tournament in which an anemic offense helped doom the USWNT to a round-of-16 exit — easily the program’s worst finish at a World Cup.

It’s hard not to wonder how things could have been different with Macario and Swanson on the roster. Swanson, in particular, was in scintillating form prior to her injury, as she managed to lead the USWNT in goals in 2023 despite not playing after April.

But the duo has now returned simultaneously, a milestone that wasn’t lost on Macario when she spoke to the media on Wednesday.

“There are no words to describe how good Mal is, honestly,” Macario said.
“She makes us so much better. She’s the type of player that you always want to play with.

“Though I got injured a little bit before her, I was just absolutely gutted for her because she was really in the form of her life leading up to the World Cup. And I have no doubt that she’ll get there again.

“I’m just super happy to see her back. She’s a a great person too. It’s emotional for us to be both back together after so long.”

Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Both players have returned to their club sides in strong form. Macario has hit the ground running at Chelsea despite being sidelined for the better part of two years, while Swanson has started all three NWSL games for the Chicago Red Stars this season, scoring her first goal in year last weekend.

For Swanson, the time away from the game gave her a new perspective on the game, and life in general.

“You can’t ever take life for granted, you can’t take your health for granted,” she said. “And so ever since then, I’ve kind of had a new perspective on that. When something’s taken away from you, you always have a new perspective on it. So I’m just grateful to be back in this environment, back with this team and wearing the crest because it means so much.”

The USWNT may have been able to have a more successful World Cup with Swanson and Macario in the fold, but the team’s future outlook is looking much rosier now with both returning to the picture.

“Both Mal and I wish that we could have been there,” Macario said. “I think sometimes you kind of need to take things into perspective. And I feel like everything works out for a reason.”

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Macario on USWNT newcomer Yohannes: I cannot believe she’s 16

Yonannes is the youngest USWNT call-up in seven years

Catarina Macario said she’s been highly impressed by 16-year-old Lily Yohannes, the newest member of the U.S. women’s national team.

The Ajax midfielder was named to the roster for the team’s two upcoming SheBelieves Cup matches, becoming the youngest USWNT call-up since a 16-year-old Sophia Smith in 2017.

Ahead of the USWNT’s match against Japan on Saturday, Macario told the media that her teenage teammate is showing an ability beyond her years.

“She’s a tremendous player,” Macario said on Wednesday. “Really sweet girl. I honestly cannot believe that she’s 16. She just reads the game so well, and you can really see that.”

Macario’s Chelsea side recently eliminated Ajax in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals, and the forward credited the midfielder for helping the Dutch side reach the last eight.

“Ajax had a tremendous run in the Champions League, and I do feel like that was a lot thanks to her,” Macario said. “And obviously the rest of her team, but I do feel like she made a great impact.

“She was just telling me how last year she was still in the reserve team. I’m like, ‘Oh my god. How is that possible?’ Like, she’s so good, you know? So I’m really happy for her that she’s in this environment now.”

Though Macario didn’t play in the first leg and Yohannes sat out the second leg due to a suspension, the Chelsea forward said she had a brief interaction with Yohannes that foreshadowed events to come.

“I remember joking around with her after the first game. I was like, ‘Oh, you’re American, right? Do you want to join us?’ or something like that. And then I found out a few days later that she was called into camp. So that was really sweet.”

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USWNT’s Macario says return from injury ‘feels like a dream, like a miracle’

Macario admitted she had doubts about her future, but is now looking to enjoy her soccer

Catarina Macario may still be in the early stages of her career at the highest level, but after 20 months on the sideline, she’s gained the kind of perspective associated with a veteran.

The U.S. women’s national team forward was sidelined for over 20 months after suffering a torn ACL in June 2022, with multiple setbacks costing her a World Cup and a full European season.

Even after a summer move to Chelsea, Macario only made her Blues debut on March 3, scoring in a 4-0 win over Leicester.

Speaking to The Guardian, Macario emphasized that such a difficult battle to return to the field redefined so much about how she thinks about her career.

“Before the injury I’d be really nervous before big games: ‘I don’t want to mess up, I just want to be able to perform well for my team,” said Macario. “Sometimes I almost got too much in my own head to the point that I wouldn’t be able to perform, really.

“But I feel like now, since the injury, I’m just grateful to be on the pitch again and just to have legs.”

Macario is still very much in the early stages of her return, and is not expected to start Sunday’s Continental Cup final against Arsenal. Thus far, Chelsea boss Emma Hayes (who will soon enough be evaluating the 24-year-old for USWNT duty) has been peppering Macario into matches, calling on her as a substitute in each of the club’s last five games.

The USWNT star has responded quickly, posting a goal and two assists in just 105 minutes as Chelsea advanced to the semifinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League while also inching ahead of Manchester City atop the Women’s Super League standings on goal difference.

“My first game back I was able to score and you could see the joy in everyone,” recalled Macario. “That meant so much. Even though we had trained together for a while, it felt like such a big celebration. It really was such a genuine moment and so emotional too that I could literally not imagine being part of another team.”

Macario hopes for ‘fun’ Continental Cup final

Despite the big stage that is a final between two of the giants of European women’s soccer, Macario maintains that for her to succeed, she has to focus on having a good time first and foremost.

“I know that it’s a big game, but I personally don’t really think about it that way any more,” said Macario. “You’re supposed to do the work for [a final] before you get to this point, so let’s just have some fun.”

Macario indicated that she has a massive amount of gratitude for the Chelsea medical team for seeing her through what was a murky, challenging return to full fitness.

“Our head of performance one day told me, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time focused on one player, but we’re doing this just to try to get it right for you so that you can be healthy in the long term, and be able to contribute for us,’ explained Macario.

“That’s something that I really appreciate, and I honestly could never repay them. I did at times think, ‘Will I be able to play at that level again?’ There were definitely a lot of doubts. They just reassured me a lot.

“A lot of times I didn’t believe them. That’s why now everything just feels like a dream, like a miracle.”

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USWNT interim coach Kilgore: Macario still in ACL recovery

Macario is still working her way back from a torn ACL suffered in 2022

Despite the number of big names on the first U.S. women’s national team roster to come out after the World Cup, there is still plenty of interest in some players who weren’t called in.

Catarina Macario is right at the top of that latter group. The Chelsea attacker was left out of the USWNT squad that will take on South Africa in a pair of friendlies set for September 21 in Cincinnati, and then three days later in Chicago.

Macario has not played a match for club or country since tearing her ACL on June 1, 2022. Her last USWNT match remains a 9-0 win over Uzbekistan in April 2022.

Heading into the World Cup, former USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski initially had optimism that Macario would be available for a call-up in April. Once the roster for that window arrived without the 23-year-old, Andonovski said that the USWNT couldn’t afford to call Macario in without seeing her get a match for her club side.

In the end, Macario didn’t join the USWNT at the World Cup, but in one positive sign, she did sign a three-year contract with Chelsea in June.

Per USWNT interim coach Twila Kilgore, Macario is continuing her return-to-play protocol with the Blues, whose preseason preparations included a trip to Portugal before returning to London in recent days.

“Cat is still in recovery,” Kilgore told reporters in a press conference Wednesday. “She’s working on her return-to-play in her home environment at Chelsea. She’s doing a really good job, and we’re looking forward to potentially having her back in the squad in the future.”

In Macario’s stead, there will be plenty of competition at both the No. 9 and No. 10 positions. Up front, Macario’s new club teammate Mia Fishel, NWSL Golden Boot contender Ashley Hatch, and World Cup starter Alex Morgan are all on this roster, as are other center forward options like Trinity Rodman, Alyssa Thompson, and Lynn Williams.

In the midfield, the same trio of attacking midfielders (Savannah DeMelo, Rose Lavelle, and Ashley Sanchez) that went to New Zealand and Australia are back in the squad, as is Lindsey Horan (who played as a No. 10 in the USWNT’s round of 16 swansong against Sweden this summer).

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USWNT injuries: The key players who will miss the 2023 World Cup

The USWNT has admirable depth in its roster, but these are still some major losses

If the U.S. women’s national team wants to win a third straight World Cup, it will have to do so without several of its top players.

Like so many other teams at the 2023 World Cup, the USWNT has been forced to omit some big names from its roster due to injuries.

USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski has a team full of world-class talent to choose from, but the losses his team has suffered will undoubtedly hurt.

These aren’t depth players. They are the team’s top scorer this year, its captain and defensive anchor, and an up-and-coming global star, among others.

There was at least some good news when Andonovski revealed his squad on Wednesday, as Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle — both questionable due to injury — were named to the 23-player roster.

Here are the biggest injury absences for the USWNT at this summer’s World Cup.

USWNT star Catarina Macario signs three-year deal with Chelsea

Finally some good news for Macario

Catarina Macario is moving to London.

Just days after leaving Lyon, Chelsea officially announced that the U.S. women’s national team attacker has signed a three-year contract with the Women’s Super League champions that will begin on July 1.

“I can’t wait to get started here! I’m really happy to sign for Chelsea and I hope to represent the jersey well over the next few years,” Macario said in a team statement confirming the news. “I’m looking forward to linking up with so many good forward players such as Sam [Kerr], Lauren James and Guro [Reiten]. It will be good to play with Kadeisha [Buchanan] again also.”

“Cat is one of the most intelligent, creative attacking players in the world who I think will blossom in this Chelsea team,” Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said. “She brings a great deal of flair, European experience, and an unbelievable winning mentality. I think our fans will really love her.”

Macario followed one of the most dominant collegiate careers in recent memory by signing with Lyon in January 2021, quickly forcing her way into a starting role at arguably the most star-studded women’s team on the planet.

Over the next one-and-a-half years, Macario stood out for the French power, producing 19 goals and five assists in 27 Division 1 Féminine (D1F) appearances. In the more difficult Champions League, the results were much the same: 10 goals and two assists in 14 appearances. Macario became the first American to score in a UEFA Champions League final as Lyon upset Barcelona to win the 2021-22 edition of the tournament.

Macario followed that goal up with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain that clinched another D1F championship for Lyon, but the joy was short-lived. Three days later, in Lyon’s final game of the entire season, Macario suffered a torn ACL, and has not played since.

Despite an initial timeline pointing to Macario returning before this summer’s World Cup, the 23-year-old suffered some unspecified setbacks during her recovery. Last month, Macario ruled herself out of the World Cup.

However, Chelsea would have required a medical exam before offering the USWNT star a contract. The club made note that Macario is on course to return to playing without being diminished, saying “she continues to make good progress with her rehabilitation ahead of her first season with the Blues.”

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