FIFA Women’s World Cup: US, Olympique Lyonnais star Catarina Macario ruled out of tournament
The United States will be without key player Catarina Macario as it attempts to win an unprecedented third FIFA Women‘s World Cup in a row.
Just weeks before the Women’s World Cup kicks off in July, the U.S. women’s soccer team lost another key player to injury, as Catarina Macario said that a torn ACL suffered last year will prevent her from being physically ready for the tournament.
The loss of Macario, a 23-year-old midfielder/forward, comes weeks after topscoring U.S. forward Mallory Swanson went down with a different knee injury.
Macario’s absence further dents the prospects of the defending-champion U.S. team in its effort to win an unprecedented third World Cup in a row. The U.S. finished with a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Macario, who was born in Brazil and starred at Stanford, gained U.S. citizenship in October 2020. She had only played 17 games for the U.S. senior team but made them count, scoring eight goals and logging two assists.
She led the French club Olympique Lyonnais with 14 goals in the 2021-22 season, and led an upset of Barcelona in the 2022 UEFA Women’s Champions League title. Macario suffered the knee injury days after becoming the first American to score in the Champions League final.
This chip from Catarina Macario 😤 #SheBelievesCuppic.twitter.com/pBwPn36Sgt
— ESPN (@espn) February 24, 2022
She spent weeks this past winter rehabbing her knee injury at a clinic in Qatar, but she hadn’t yet taken the field for Lyon or the U.S.
“While I’m excited and super optimistic about my future as a footballer, I’m sad to share that I won’t be physically ready for selection to our U.S. World Cup team,” Macario wrote on Instagram. She thanked U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski for “prioritising my long-term health over any individual and collective ambitions.”
The US is expected to name its 23-player World Cup roster in late June. The tournament, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand, kicks off July 20.
Scorers likely to make the World Cup roster for the U.S. include Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, among others.
Several top scorers this season in the National Women’s Soccer League are also candidates to make the squad. Crystal Dunn, a midfielder for the Portland Thorns who usually plays left back for the U.S., on Tuesday was tied for the NWSL lead with five goals. Also at five goals were a few of her U.S. teammates: Ashley Hatch, Lynn Williams and Morgan.
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