The U.S. women’s national team received an unfortunate update Sunday concerning the health of rising star Catarina Macario.
Macario, 22, confirmed on social media she has suffered a torn ACL and will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. The standout midfielder sustained the injury while competing for French club Lyon in their final match of the season last Wednesday.
Macario’s announcement comes a little over two weeks after she made history by becoming the first American to score in a UEFA Champions League final during Lyon’s stunning 3–1 victory over defending champion Barcelona. The young star recorded 14 goals and five assists in 20 appearances for the undefeated club in her first season as a pro.
“Unfortunately, injuries are a natural part of football,” Macario said. “Tearing an ACL is never easy, and although I am devastated to be away from the field and my teammates for a few months, I could not be more proud of my first year as a professional footballer and to have helped the team reconquer two big titles this season.”
“As challenging as the recovery process may be, I believe that God is in control of everything, so l have no doubt that with the right support system, patience, and hard work, I will be back better and hungrier than ever before.”
In addition to propelling Lyon to its eighth Champions League title, Macario was also a part of the club’s French-league title victory on May 29. Lyon defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in Paris to capture a record 15th championship, and Macario scored the title-clinching goal.
With a long road to recovery now ahead of her, Macario will now be forced to sit on the sidelines rather than have the opportunity to step into what would’ve likely been a significant role for the USWNT this summer.
The USWNT will continue preparing for its 2023 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign later this month in a pair of friendlies against Colombia in Colorado and Utah. From there, the team will compete in the Concacaf W Championship, which doubles as Women’s World Cup and Olympic qualifying and begins on July 4 in Mexico.
Macario has over a year to get back to full health and peak form before the start of the World Cup that’s taking place in New Zealand and Australia next summer.
