What Catarina Macario’s Return Could Mean for the USWNT

Injuries are devastating no matter the sport, but the ACL tear is something that has hit soccer harder than others. One of those casualties was Catarina Macario, who was missed dearly at the World Cup last summer.

The wait is almost over. Macario has been seen at Chelsea’s training and will likely star for the USWNT as she returns to full health. Macario’s injection into the USWNT could be the key ingredient their offense has been missing. Here’s what Catarina Macario’s return means for the USWNT.

Catarina Macario’s move to Chelsea from Lyon puts her in another stratosphere of talent as she’s one of two players to make that move recently. Kadeisha Buchanan is the other. Lyon and Chelsea are two of the more star-studded teams in Europe, and Macario joins that group of all-stars. What’s more exciting is seeing how Emma Hayes feels about Macario.

Emma Hayes says Catarina Macario will return to action 'very soon'

🗣️ “For those of you that haven’t watched Cat play, trust me, she’s a top, top player.”

——@KathrynBatte pic.twitter.com/DhgXJlaXC8

— Chelsea women team (@CFC__Women) January 11, 2024

Macario will do big things at Chelsea; that’s not under dispute, but the real question is, what will her role be with the USWNT? Emma Hayes will get a great look at Macario at Chelsea, which will help her decide how best to use the Stanford grad. Macario’s position can be disputed because she’s listed as a forward, but we’ve seen she can play in the midfield or the false nine role. That’s where I feel Macario does her best work.

Macario can score from anywhere on the pitch at any time. If you don’t believe me, watch her Stanford highlights. Putting her directly up front limits her from showing her complete skill set. Has she been great as a striker? Yes, we saw that at the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, but she can do even more for this team if she’s in the midfield. Are you telling me someone who dished out 23 assists in 25 games in her last year at Stanford should be a striker? Please tell me how that makes sense. Macario can create for others and score, but we didn’t see that side of her under Vlatko Andonovski.

How will Emma Hayes choose to construct this lineup? Under Vlatko, the team was primarily in a 4-3-3, but Twila Kilgore has experimented based on the China friendlies. We saw a 3-4-3 and a 3-4-2-1. If we want to see Macario drop into deeper positions and help Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle in creating the offense, then the 3-4-2-1 is best to do that with Macario, possibly alongside Horan or Rose.

Whether we see a 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3, sticking Macario at the top or on the wing is fine, as we’ve seen her perform well in those positions. Macario is 24 and has so much untapped potential. It’s my hope that Emma Hayes identifies the best way to use Macario because we still haven’t seen the best of her yet.

This decision in attack really comes down to preference of player and style of play, which do you prefer: Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith with Horan, Rose and Macario in support or swap out Trinity for Macario and bring Rodman off the bench with a different midfielder in the mix? For me, I prefer the former because we don’t just have the speed, but we would have the skill and technique behind them to get our stars the ball. Our midfield is the area that needs the most help and when you’re as talented as Macario is, why not have her play in a deeper role? Or we can at least consider playing her in the false nine, which could give her more opportunities to create.

This all comes down to Emma Hayes’ decision and how she wants to run this team. One thing is sure: Catarina Macario will return with a vengeance. 2024 is her year.

Featured image via @catarina_macario on Instagram

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