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Jeff Kassouf
Multiple NWSL teams are looking to sign Chelsea and United States forward Catarina Macario, as confirmed by several sources to ESPN.
Macario’s current contract with Chelsea expires on July 1. According to FIFA rules, she can sign a pre-contract with any team starting on January 1, six months before her contract ends.
She is also anticipated to attract considerable interest from teams in Europe, where she has played for her entire professional career thus far.
EsPN reports that there has been a persistent interest in acquiring Macario from multiple NWSL teams, but salary cap restrictions have hindered serious transfer negotiations to meet her salary. This situation may change if the NWSL implements a new “High Impact Player” (HIP) rule, as previously reported by ESPN.
The proposed HIP rule aims to enable NWSL teams to sign and retain star players, addressing the challenges the league has faced over the past year as top global clubs, like Chelsea, have increased their spending while NWSL teams remain constrained by the salary cap.
Recently, the NWSL lost USWNT stars Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson to Chelsea in transfers exceeding $1 million each.
The anticipated HIP rule would allow teams to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million for players who qualify under specific criteria. This policy aims to retain standout players like USWNT forward Trinity Rodman within the league, especially with her current team, the Washington Spirit, and to help retain more top talent moving forward. Such changes may enable seven-figure salaries across the league.
It remains uncertain if the HIP rule will be approved, particularly after the NWSLPA expressed some dissent, but Macario matches the profile of players the NWSL hopes to attract through this new opportunity.
Born in Brazil, Macario relocated to the U.S. at the age of 12. She excelled at Stanford and became a U.S. citizen in late 2020. Almost immediately, she committed to represent the USWNT under former head coach Vlatko Andonovski, and she was projected to be a key player in the team’s attack for the 2023 World Cup.
She was a two-time recipient of the MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the best player in college soccer, and left Stanford early to join OL Lyonnes in January 2021.
However, a series of knee injuries affected Macario’s early professional career. She tore her ACL in 2022 during the last game of the season with OL Lyonnes and did not play again for a year and a half, at which point she moved to Chelsea as a free agent. This injury also caused her to miss her opportunity to compete in the 2023 World Cup, her first significant tournament.
Macario was called up to the USWNT’s roster for the 2024 Olympics but had to withdraw prior to the tournament due to a “knee irritation,” according to USWNT head coach Emma Hayes. Team USA secured a gold medal that summer.
Recently, Macario has made a strong return, maintaining good health and performing well for both club and country. Hayes, who was Chelsea’s head coach when Macario was signed, has relied heavily on her for the USWNT’s attacking lineup, particularly in the absence of the starting forward trio that secured Olympic gold for the U.S. in 2024.
Macario typically plays as a false nine, adept at receiving the ball with her back to goal and facilitating combinations with other attacking players.
In her last two games for the USWNT against Italy, Macario scored three goals, concluding the year on a high note.