What’s Next: USA Star Catarina Macario’s Historic New Deal With NSWL’s San Diego

Editor’s Note: This March 16 story has been updated after the San Diego Wave officially announced Catarina Macario’s transfer from Chelsea on Friday. A landmark deal in women’s soccer history is now official. United States forward Catarina Macario will join the San Diego Wave from Chelsea before the end of the NWSL’s transfer window under the league’s new High Impact Player Rule. The deal, which was first reported by Sportico on March 16, is believed to be the largest in total value in women’s soccer history, worth $8 million over five seasons. Macario’s current contract with Chelsea, where she’s played since 2023, is expiring this summer, so the timing here is ideal. She is expected to join the Wave immediately. Macario, who is originally from Brazil, has never played in the NWSL. She attended Stanford, where she won two NCAA Women’s College Cups and back-to-back MAC Hermann Trophies, which honors the nation’s top player. She skipped her senior year and turned pro, joining Lyon where she scored a goal in the club’s Champions League final win over Barcelona in 2022. She moved to Chelsea in 2023, but her time there has been frustrating due to injuries. Macario actually didn’t make her debut for Chelsea until March 2024 because she was recovering from a torn ACL that she suffered in 2022. Her return to form has been up and down – for example, she was initially named to the USWNT’s 2024 Olympics roster but had to pull out at the last minute due to knee irritation, and was not part of the most recent national team camp during the SheBelieves Cup because of a foot issue. She did have a stellar 2025 under Emma Hayes, though, leading the U.S. with eight goals. Now, it’s time for a change. One that will benefit everyone involved. What’s Next for Macario and the Wave? Macario’s move to the Wave is perfect for many reasons. One being that she grew up in San Diego after her family moved to the U.S. from Brazil. This is a chance for the 26-year-old to be closer to family after playing her entire professional career up to this point in Europe. On the field, it’s an exciting move for a team in rebuilding mode. In the last few years, the Wave have lost USWNT stars like Alex Morgan (retirement), Naomi Girma (now with Chelsea) and Jaedyn Shaw (with Gotham FC). They have a handful of teenagers, including Melanie Barcenas, some veterans like French national team midfielder Kenza Dali, and recently signed several Brazilian players like Dudinha, Ludmila and Gabi Portilho. Macario needs more minutes – which were difficult to come by at Chelsea whether she was healthy or not. And once she’s fit and in form, she figures to play a major role in helping the team become a championship contender. “We’re thrilled to welcome Cat home to San Diego,” Sporting Director and General  Manager Camille Ashton said in a statement. “Cat is a world-class player who has consistently performed at the highest levels of the game. She is an intelligent, technical and creative attacker with exceptional vision and composure in the final third. Her ability to unlock defenses and influence matches in multiple ways will further strengthen an already strong foundation as we continue building toward Championship success. “This signing reflects the ambition of our Club and having a player of her caliber return to her hometown and represent San Diego makes this signing even more meaningful for our organization.” What’s Next for the NWSL? Similarly to Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit, the Wave will utilize the NWSL’s new high impact player rule to pay Macario. This allows teams to pay players outside the salary cap – which is up to $3.7 million in 2026 after revenue sharing adjustments – if a player meets certain criteria. Rodman’s new three-year deal, which she signed in January, reportedly pays her north of $2 million annually with bonuses. Getting this deal done is massive for the league. In a matter of a few months, the NWSL has been able to keep Rodman and gain Lindsey Heaps and now Macario. With young national team stars moving to Europe over the last couple years – including Girma, Emily Fox, Alyssa Thompson and Sam Coffey – getting a star player to come back and play at home is a huge coup for the health of the NWSL. What’s Next for the USWNT? It’s no secret that Macario’s career hasn’t been easy. Injuries have prevented her from playing in major tournaments, and she hasn’t been able to consistently perform like the global superstar she’s been projected to be. Now she’ll be closer to family and not have to travel overseas every time she gets called up to the USWNT. It can’t be underestimated how much those kinds of things can take a toll on an athlete, no matter how talented they are. Hayes and the USWNT will need Macario in top form not just for World Cup qualifying later this year, but for next summer’s tournament, which is in Brazil. That will undoubtedly be a motivating factor for Macario, who has yet to play in a World Cup for the U.S. and now has the opportunity to do so in the country where she was born. In What’s Next?, we look ahead at the potential impact of trades, hires, signings and more.