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Why it’s time for Catarina Macario to join the NWSL

Catarina Macario won a UEFA Women’s Champions League title with Olympique Lyon last year before tearing her ACL. (ANP via Getty Images)

After U.S. women’s national team forward Catarina Macario injured her ACL in June 2022, the common consensus was that she would recover fully in time for the 2023 World Cup, and that if she could compete physically, she’d be on the plane to New Zealand. Macario is a unique talent U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski had begun to build the team’s young attacking core around, before suddenly having to adjust to her absence.

As the weeks before the tournament continue to tick away, however, Macario has yet to return to the field for either the USWNT or her club team, Olympique Lyon. With the World Cup far from a foregone conclusion, the question of whether she’ll be ready to play in July has only grown.

Since graduating from Stanford in 2021, Macario has played in Europe with a great amount of success. But now that she is delayed in her ACL recovery, and trying to make the biggest roster of her still-young career, the scales may have finally tipped in the NWSL’s favor.

The World Cup is worth adjusting for

Macario opted not to enter the NWSL draft in 2021, instead taking her talents to Lyon, one of the giants of European women’s football. The reasons for her decision at the time were all sound: European clubs don’t adhere to a salary cap, meaning they could offer far more in salary to a young player on the rise. It also gave her a chance to control her own destiny based on demand for her skill, something the NWSL’s parity rules threatened to take away from the college superstar.

Macario might have longer-term plans in Europe after a successful run with Olympique Lyon, winning both Division 1 Féminine and the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2022. But the NWSL’s greatest pull in the build-up to the 2023 World Cup is that they are playing league games right now.

Lyon lost their recent Champions League match against Chelsea, limiting the number of games the team has left before moving into the summer offseason. With four games remaining, there isn’t much need for Lyon to rotate Macario in even if she does prove ready for game time before the first week of June. The forward is also currently out of contract with Lyon, which might affect their desire to make sure she is building momentum for the next season.

With her future in Lyon far from certain, a sign-and-loan deal might not be on the table. Alternatively, getting a contract signed quickly in the NWSL could be the difference in getting considerable club minutes.

Andonovski has made it very clear he expects Macario to get playing time in a competitive environment before he’ll consider her for a World Cup spot, a philosophy that Alex Morgan confirmed on this week’s episode of Snacks.

“Vlatko has said something which no coach has ever really come out and said, which is, your club really dictates, right now, if you’re going to make this [USWNT] team,” Morgan told co-hosts Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis. “He’s going to games every weekend, looking at players. I feel like that’s the first time that we’ve had a coach come out and just be like, ‘Yeah, your club play is important, and that’s what’s going to make or break a spot for you.’”

Andonovski has brought players back into camp after long absences so he can either monitor them or get them playing time, but those returns were under club conditions that Macario has yet to achieve. For Macario, giving up a few long-term goals to ensure a smooth transition into competitive games might be worth it if it guarantees a World Cup spot.

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Macario has scored eight goals in 17 appearances for the USWNT since 2021. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

What an NWSL entry might look like

Macario’s current situation has been drawn up in contrast to that of USWNT midfielder Julie Ertz, who returned to USWNT camp in April after a multi-year absence. Unlike Macario, Ertz was physically able to play in both of the U.S.’s April friendlies against Ireland, but she hadn’t suited up in an NWSL game in almost two years.

By next week, Ertz will be back in the swing of club play, having signed a one-year deal with Angel City FC in anticipation of joining the USWNT midfield in New Zealand. Ertz has the opportunity to play in up to 12 club matches before internationals leave for camp.

Ertz’s approach could be one that Macario follows, though their avenues to entry might be slightly different. A number of teams would be more than willing to give Macario a one-year contract, but the 23-year-old would have to enter through discovery rather than as a free agent like Ertz. Whether Macario’s rights are already held by a team is unclear, but again the NWSL’s parity rules complicate the young star’s path toward playing time.

“I have been talking to Vlatko, obviously, about the whole situation,” Macario said on CBS Sports last week. “Specifically because my season in Lyon [ends soon] and I’m hoping obviously to play as soon as I can. But, like I said, sometimes with injuries, you just have to be patient, you need to have time and just hope everything heals well.”

One obvious solution would be for Macario to re-sign with Lyon and then immediately complete a short-term loan to OL Reign. OL Groupe, however, is currently looking to divest from their ownership of the Seattle NWSL club, likely dashing any further collaboration between the European side and their North American counterpart.

Another, more permanent option would be for Macario to figure out an entry into the NWSL as a contracted player and sign with a team closer to home. Macario grew up in the San Diego area, and might still be able to find a long-term destination depending on salary cap space and current personnel.

So much of Macario’s future will ultimately depend on when she is physically ready to return to the field. But making the World Cup roster has to be the entire story, not just a subplot. For NWSL fans, it might mean a long-awaited debut.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

WSL and WSL2 Clubs Vote in Favor of English League Expansion

Chelsea FC attacker Aggie Beever-Jones celebrates a goal during a 2025 WSL match.
Despite previous proposals, the expanding WSL will not forgo relegation. (Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

The Women's Super League (WSL) is growing, with the UK league's top two flights deciding in a Monday expansion vote to enlarge its top tier from 12 to 14 teams ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The number of matches played each season will also balloon from 22 to 26 games to accommodate the incoming clubs, as will established cup competitions.

Monday also saw the WSL vote down a prior proposal to temporarily suspend the relegation and promotion process to accommodate this expansion, deciding instead to adopt a "two up, one down" model for the second-tier WSL2 next season.

As such, the top two finishers of the 2025/26 WSL2 season will automatically join the higher-tier WSL, while the WSL's last-place team will battle the WSL2's third-place club in "a high-profile, high stakes match" for the final spot in the top flight.

After reaching 14 teams, both leagues will return to relegating the last-place WSL finisher while promoting the WSL2's top team for the following season.

Along with the increased investment in club infrastructure, a 14-team WSL keeps pace with the global women's game — most notably, the NWSL, which will become a 16-team league in 2026.

"Our priority was to find a route that would benefit the whole women's game pyramid, and we believe this next evolution of women's professional football will raise minimum standards, create distinction, and incentivize investment across the board," said WSL Football CEO Nikki Doucet.

WNBA Teams Offset Injuries, EuroBasket Departures with Short-Term Contracts

Golden State Valkyries rookie Kaitlyn Chen dribbles the ball up the court during a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
2025 WNBA draftee Kaitlyn Chen returned to the Golden State Valkyries to offset EuroBasket roster departures. (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

With EuroBasket set to tip off on Wednesday and injuries mounting league-wide, WNBA teams are filling out dwindling rosters with more short-term contracts — and calling back some familiar faces along the way.

While some European standouts withdrew from EuroBasket consideration — including Phoenix's Satou Sabally and Seattle's Gabby Williams — others, like New York's Leonie Fiebich and Golden State's Temi Fagbenle, will join their national teams for the regional FIBA tournament through the end of June.

Due to these planned absences, WNBA teams temporarily suspend their EuroBasket players' contracts, allowing squads to add others to their rosters.

Players signed due to temporary absences are technically on rest-of-season deals, though the agreements can end whenever the missing athletes return.

In contrast, the league requires that teams release any hardship signings due to injury once squads tally enough healthy original players to satisfy the WNBA's 10-athlete roster minimum.

Featuring a lineup stacked with international talent, Golden State made the most transactions this week, temporarily suspending four regular contracts as 2025 EuroBasket stars departed for the annual competition.

To bolster their depleted bench, the Valkyries brought back 2025 WNBA Draft Cinderella pick Kaitlyn Chen and recent training camp participant Laeticia Amihere on short-term contracts, in addition to guard Aerial Powers and forward Chloe Bibby.

Elsewhere, after losing forward Maddy Siegrist to injury and temporarily suspending the contracts of centers Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder, Dallas acquired center Li Yueru from Seattle — with the Wings possibly needing additional hardship signings in the coming days.

The Storm snagged two future draft picks in the Saturday deal — a second-round selection in 2026 and a third-round pick in 2027.

Ultimately, teams are striving to find a balance between stocking up and maintaining consistency, all while operating under the WNBA's roster constraints — with further league expansion fast approaching.

WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Conference Play Comes Down to the Wire

Seattle Storm forward Ezi Magbegor tries to defend a jump-shot from Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier during a 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup game.
Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx will advance to a second straight WNBA Commissioner's Cup final with a Tuesday win. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup will wrap up its conference play on Tuesday, as both Eastern and Western teams battle for a ticket to the in-season competition's championship game — and a cut of the $500,000 prize pool.

With 12 of the league's 13 teams facing off across Tuesday's WNBA courts, the results will set the stage by minting the two squads who will battle in the July 1st final showdown.

Reigning Commissioner's Cup champs Minnesota have the West's easiest path, as a win over the Las Vegas Aces will send the Lynx to a second straight final.

Should the Lynx fall to the Aces, however, Seattle can grab the Western Conference berth by beating the Los Angeles Sparks.

Meanwhile in the East, a surging Atlanta could land a trip to the final by topping New York, while the Liberty need both a win over the Dream plus a loss by the Indiana Fever to clinch their own return ticket to the Cup's grand finale.

If New York does take down Atlanta, the Fever could advance to the team's first-ever Commissioner's Cup final by beating the struggling Connecticut Sun.

How to watch Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup games

All of Tuesday's six WNBA games count toward the 2025 Commissioner's Cup tally.

The action begins with the Atlanta Dream tipping off against the New York Liberty while the Indiana Fever battles the Connecticut Sun at 7 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.

Chicago Sky Star Angel Reese Files Trademark for ‘Mebounds’ to Silence Internet Trolls

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese grabs a rebound during a 2024 WNBA game.
Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is trademarking a term often used to criticize her play. (Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese made headlines this week, with the second-year WNBA forward announcing that she has trademarked word "mebounds" — a slang term opposing fans use to describe Reese rebounding her own missed shots.

"Whoever came up with the 'mebounds' thing, y’all ate that up, because mebounds, rebounds, keybounds...anything that comes off that board, it's mine," Reese said in a TikTok video on Saturday.

"And a brand? That's six figures right there," she continued, referencing her trademark application. "The trolling — I love when y'all do it because the ideas be good!"

Currently averaging 11.9 boards per matchup, Reese is leading the WNBA in rebounds for the second straight season.

Her rookie campaign saw Reese average 13.1 boards per game, a rate that set a single-season league record. She also blasted through the WNBA's consecutive double-double record last season, claiming it with 10 straight before extending it to an impressive 15 games.

Along with the average rebounds record, Reese also broke the single-season total rebounds record previously held by retired Minnesota Lynx legend Sylvia Fowles — a mark that was later surpassed by 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson following Reese's season-ending wrist injury.

"Statistically, all the rebounds that I get aren't always just mine," Reese added in her Saturday social media post. "They're the defense's, too, or somebody else on my team."

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