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Catarina Macario making her case as ‘the future’ of USWNT

Catarina Macario strikes the ball during a training session in Japan this summer. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Less than a year after making her debut with the U.S. women’s national team, Catarina Macario is becoming a prominent player in the eyes of Vlatko Andonovski.

The coach named Macario as an alternate on the Olympic roster this summer in Tokyo. The 22-year-old didn’t see the starting lineup as the USWNT rebounded from a disappointing start to win bronze. Two months and a couple of camps later, however, Andonovski says Macario could become the face of the squad.

“It’s no secret Cat is one of the players who has tremendous potential,” Andonovski said. “I personally think she is one of the players I call the future of this team.”

The coach has been playing her primarily in the midfield, where her movement with the ball and runs without the ball have recently been on display.

Macario also excels at scoring goals, but she hasn’t yet had the opportunity to prove what she’s capable of with the national team. After tallying seven goals in her last seven games with her club, Lyon, as well as 63 goals in 69 matches through her three-year college career with the Stanford Cardinal, Macario has a strong case to start at forward for the USWNT and, more specifically, at the nine.

The 4-3-3 formation Andonovski typically employs also leaves more room for Macario to earn a starting spot if she can establish herself as a forward. As a first-year player, it’s difficult to compete with the likes of Julie Ertz and Rose Lavelle in the midfield. But with Carli Lloyd retiring after the USWNT’s next two friendlies against Korea Republic, a spot will be left open on the starting forward line.

Considering Andonovski’s high praise of Macario’s performance in the midfield, she seems headed toward success regardless of position.

“She’s a very creative player in the role she has with the national team,” the coach said. “It’s just been growth from game to game.”

Macario has three goals in 10 appearances with the U.S. With Lyon, she’s recorded 13 goals in 21 games.

That she is already making a name for herself in her first year as a professional and senior national team player isn’t anything new for the Brazilian-born striker. At Stanford, Macario racked up 17 goals and 16 assists in 25 matches her freshman year, earning her many awards such as espnW Player of the Year, TopDrawerSoccer.com Freshman of the Year, Pac-12 Forward of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

In her third and final college season, Macario buried 23 goals in just 19 matches.

Macario, a two-time Hermann Trophy winner as college soccer’s best player, decided to forgo her senior season to begin her professional journey. On Jan. 12, she signed with Lyon for two and a half years.

January turned out to be quite a month for Macario, 21 years old at the time. The day after her contract with Lyon was made public, U.S. Soccer announced she had received clearance from FIFA to play for the U.S. as a dual citizen.

Four days later, on Jan. 18, Macario made her debut for the national team against Colombia. In her next game on Jan. 22, also against Colombia, she made her first start and scored her first international goal. She followed that up with inclusion on the USWNT’s 2021 SheBelieves Cup and Olympic rosters and a highlight-reel goal in a U.S. friendly last month.

“I still feel relatively new to this team,” Macario said in September. “But I do know some of [the players] a little bit better now, so I hope that we learn more about each other on and off the field and build confidence in playing with each other.”

Macario will have another chance to realize her potential when the USWNT plays South Korea on Thursday night in Kansas City and again on Tuesday in St. Paul, Minn.

“I’m very happy with where she’s at at this stage in her career,” Andonovski said. “I’m always excited to have her in camp.”

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Wimbledon Increases Prize Money, Winner to Receive $4.07 Million

Czechia's Barbora Krejčíková celebrates a point during the 2024 Wimbledon final.
2025 Wimbledon competitors could win up to 11.1% more prize money this year. (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Canadian Swimmer Summer McIntosh Breaks 3rd World Record in Five Days

Canadian star swimmer Summer McIntosh competes in a 2025 race.
Summer McIntosh recorded three world records in five days at the 2025 Canadian swimming trials. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

NWSL Returns to California for 2025 Championship Weekend

View of PayPal Park during a 2025 NWSL match.
San Jose's PayPal Park will host the 2025 NWSL Championship in November. (Eakin Howard/NWSL via Getty Images)

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

NWSL, WNBA Player Unions Address ICE Raids, Voice Solidarity with Los Angeles

Orlando Pride players huddle before a 2025 NWSL match.
The NWSLPA and the WNBPA put out a joint statement addressing this week's ICE raids in Los Angeles. (Alex Menendez/Getty Images)

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."

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