Catarina Macario will not play for the U.S. women’s national team at the 2023 World Cup.
The 23-year-old midfielder “won’t be physically ready for selection” to the USWNT for the upcoming tournament, she announced Tuesday on social media. Macario tore her ACL last June while playing for French club Lyon.
“The desire to return to play for my club and country has driven my training and fueled my everyday life,” she wrote. “However, what’s most important right now is my health and getting fit and ready for my next club season.”
Macario’s announcement confirms what has been speculated for some time, as her recovery from the injury has taken longer than expected. As of mid-April, she had remained sidelined even from training with Lyon, though she expressed cautious optimism at the time.
But time has run out on Macario’s World Cup hopes. She has yet to be seen in training, and Lyon’s season ends Saturday. While she is expected to sign with Chelsea in the offseason, her near future will be committed to recovery — and to supporting her USWNT teammates as they make the trip to Australia and New Zealand.
“I’ll be cheering hard for my teammates at the World Cup, and I look forward to dedicating myself to fight to earn a spot for what I hope will be a long future on the U.S. national team,” she wrote.
The loss of Macario is a major blow to the USWNT, which has struggled to establish itself in the midfield. The defending World Cup champions also will be without striker Mallory Swanson, who had been on a scoring tear before tearing her patellar tendon in a friendly against Ireland. Veteran forward Christen Press is another big name who has yet to make her return from an ACL injury.