United States women’s national team and potentially soon-to-be Chelsea midfielder Catarina Macario posted on social media that she won’t recover from her ACL injury in time for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
With the tournament starting in less than two months the 23-year-old looked like a long shot for making the roster. She missed the entire 2022-23 season for her club team Lyon (France) after suffering an injury to her left ACL in June 2022.
It’s a shame fans won’t see her on the biggest stage.
Catarina Macario World Cup debut will have to wait
God’s plan. I will be back ✊❤️ pic.twitter.com/JNMsl2RbMz
— Catarina Macario (@catarinamacario) May 23, 2023
Catarina Macario announces she won't be healthy enough to participate for the USWNT in this summer's World Cup after tearing her ACL last June.
'God's plan. I will be back' pic.twitter.com/POKMPfKEOc— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 23, 2023
Catarina Macario says she will not recover in time from an ACL injury and will miss the World Cup for the USWNT ❌ pic.twitter.com/3OlQ7BZ0rB
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) May 23, 2023
Macario has been able to return to training but with Lyon's season over she wouldn’t play in a game before the World Cup roster announcement on July 10.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski will have a litany of options to replace the gaps in his squad. Macario joins a list of several players who will miss the World Cup due to injury including Mallory Swanson who tore her patella tendon in April.
Macario has recorded eight goals and two assists through 17 appearances with the USWNT. She was the SheBelieves Cup MVP in 2022.
In The18’s prediction for the USWNT World Cup roster we didn’t have Macario making the list due to her injury. Players like phenom Alyssa Thompson and in-form Lynn Williams look likely to make the trip to Australia/New Zealand in her place.
The USWNT’s opener vs. Vietnam is on Friday, July 21.
