SSFC Spotlight: Catarina Macario returns to the field in a big way

With the United States Women’s National Team in a transition period, there is an opportunity for new players to make their way into the squad. However, one past name who made an initial breakthrough but experienced a career setback could also enjoy a return to the fold. After an almost two-year absence due to a devastating injury, Catarina Cantanhede Melônio Macario made her debut for Chelsea and has resumed scoring at a prolific rate. With a few more finishes, the highly productive 24-year-old attacker — once considered the next great hope — could perhaps enjoy international football sooner rather than later.

Born in São Luís in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, Macario played with Flamengo, Cruzeiro, and Santos before moving to the United States at the age of 12, with her parents determining that the country would be “the ideal place for [her] development.” Settling in San Diego, she competed with the powerful San Diego Surf youth club and Torrey Pines High School, earning All-CIF First Team honors after scoring 34 goals as a freshman. Overcoming an anterior cruciate ligament her sophomore year (which enabled her to “dig more deeply into school” in preparation for future academic rigor), the attacker broke the Elite Clubs National League career goal-scoring record with 165 finishes while also thrice being named an NSCAA All-American.

Macario then matriculated to Stanford University, enjoying an incredible first season while leading the nation in assists with 16, scoring 17 goals, winning the Pac-12 and College Cup, and being named ESPNW Player of the Year, Pac-12 Forward of the Year, Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and a first-team All-American. As a sophomore, she contributed 14 goals and eight assists as the Cardinal won another conference title, once again earning ESPNW Player of the Year, first-team All-American selection, and Pac-12 Forward of the Year but also claiming the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy. In her third and final collegiate season, the “technical and intelligent” attacker switched to midfielder and registered an astonishing 32 goals and 23 assists in 25 matches to secure another conference-and-national-title double while repeating her previous individual accolades.

“So many goals that she’s scored, I just shake my head,” said Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe. “[She’s] the best creative player I’ve seen in a long time. Everyone gets better when you play with Catarina, and that’s probably the greatest compliment you can have as a player, that you make everyone around you better. It’s very rare that you get the complete player, and she is the complete player.”

Eschewing a potential final two years of eligibility and opting out of the National Women’s Soccer League draft, Macario joined French powerhouse Lyon on a two-and-a-half season contract, with former president Jean-Michel Aulas describing her acquisition as “the most significant operation in the history” of the club. In her first season, she contributed six goals in 11 appearances. The following year included 22 goals in 33 league and cup matches, helping lead Les Fenottes to the Champions League title, including the eventual match-winning finish in the 3-1 victory over defending champion Barcelona in the final. However, a devastating ACL injury on the last matchday derailed her progress, resulting in a surgery and a long injury layoff that would have compelled many players to consider a future away from the game.

In the midst of a lengthy rehabilitation that included a spell at Aspetar in Qatar’s capital of Doha, Macario joined Chelsea on a free transfer in June of 2023. She continued to prepare to return to the field, making her debut for the Blues on March 3^rd, a full 641 days since her previous action. True to past form, the attacker scored a goal in a 4-0 victory over Leicester City, helping secure three points in the midst of a heated title race. Her second goal followed shortly after, claiming a 1-0 win over Everton in the semifinal round of the Women’s FA Cup.

Despite two brief substitute appearances, optimism is at a high. “We’ve had to do a lot of work with her off the pitch so for her to get this moment I’m so immensely proud of her and the team behind the team who have put the hours into her,” said Chelsea and future USWNT manager Emma Hayes. “She’s a super footballer and just what we need coming into the run-in... She’s a great human and I knew bringing her to Chelsea we would have to go backwards before we went forward. I can tell the Chelsea fans this: I’m leaving you a super player. I hope she plays a big part for the remainder of the season but long-term Chelsea have got a world-class forward and so have USA.”

At the international level, Macario was eligible to represent the United States and Brazil, declining several invitations from her birth nation due to her belief that the federation did “not view [her sport] as equal.” After receiving American citizenship and FIFA clearance, she appeared for the senior team as the first naturalized player in program history, debuted in a friendly against Colombia, and was named to the roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Prior to the devastating injury in 2022, her 17 total caps yielded eight goals and two assists.

Described as an “explosive and versatile player,” Macario is capable of lining up at striker and attacking midfielder but preferring a combination “false-nine” role while displaying “great technical ability, athleticism, speed, strength, and power.” She is a highly skilled figure in the final third with creativity and flair, possessing the devastating combination of being able to set up her teammates, create her own shot, and convert with limited touches. With lofty comparisons to the legendary Marta, Total Football Analysis describes her as “eye-catchingly quick” with “a good positional and spatial understanding on the field” and intelligent link-up play supported by an “excellent range of passing.”

Despite her long absence, Macario could be an important figure for the USWNT in the near future, providing an additional source of production for an attack that sometimes appeared limited. She has been a productive finisher at every stop and already begun to reward Chelsea’s faith in her abilities. With the Olympics rapidly approaching, the forward enjoys the benefit of being able to work with and impress the program’s next manager on a day-to-day basis.