The United States women’s national team will be without a few key players against Australia on Tuesday, as Sophia Smith remains in concussion protocol and Catarina Macario will miss her second game due to injury.
According to USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski, Macario is returning to Lyon early to begin rehabilitating a groin strain that sidelined her for the USWNT’s first friendly against the Matildas, a 3-0 win in Sydney. The midfielder still has “a little bit of discomfort,” Andonovski said during a press conference Sunday.
Macario has attended every USWNT camp since the Olympics.
Andonovski said that he has already informed some of the younger players on the roster, like Emily Fox, that they will be invited to January camp.
“I don’t want them to feel like this game is make-it-or break-it for their career,” he said. “I don’t want Emily Fox going into a game thinking, ‘Oh, if I make a mistake, this is it for me.'”