Forward Catarina Macario was placed on the NWSL's season-ending injury list by San Diego Wave FC on Monday due to an ongoing knee issue, meaning the United States international's much anticipated debut in her adopted hometown will not take place in 2026.
Macario joined the Wave in March on a transfer from Chelsea, for a fee of about $300,000, ESPN reported at the time. San Diego signed Macario to a deal through 2030 that is worth about $8 million guaranteed, believed to be the largest cumulative contract in NWSL history.
She has been listed on the NWSL's weekly availability report as out with a "heel" injury every week of the season to date.
At some point earlier this year, Macario underwent "a minor procedure to address an ongoing knee issue," a club spokesperson told ESPN, which will ultimately keep her out for the season.
"We made a significant long-term commitment to Cat because we believe in her ability to make a lasting impact on this club," Camille Ashton, San Diego Wave FC's general manager and sporting director, said in a statement. "While we are disappointed that she will not be available this season, we are focused on her health and on supporting her throughout this process."
A spokesperson for the Wave did not specify which knee the procedure was on when asked by ESPN.
Macario has battled knee complications since 2022, when she tore the ACL in her left knee in the final game of the French season for OL Lyonnes. The injury and subsequent rehab prevented Macario from playing at the 2023 World Cup. She transferred to Chelsea in June 2023 and continued a long rehab.
a message from Cat to the Wave community 🫶 pic.twitter.com/0aplfu9tKg
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) September 14, 2026
The 26-year-old debuted for Chelsea in March 2024, but "consistent irritation" in her right knee forced Macario to withdraw from the United States' 2024 Olympic team after initially being named to the squad. Macario last played a competitive match for club or country in December.
"I'm obviously disappointed that I won't have the opportunity to represent the club on the field this season, especially with how much it means to me to be back home in San Diego," Macario said in a statement. "But the club and I have made a long-term commitment to each other and are focused on the big picture. My focus is on continuing my recovery so that when I do return, I can feel like myself again and give the team and our fans the best version of me."
San Diego did not provide a timetable for Macario's potential return.
The 2027 NWSL season is slated to start on Feb. 11, and the Women's World Cup begins on June 24 in Brazil, where Macario was born.
Macario told reporters when she was introduced by the club in March that she was excited to return home. She moved to San Diego from Brazil at age 12 with her family, over a decade before the Wave became an NWSL team.
"Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game," Macario said at her announcement in March. "But I think when you're home, it almost just makes everything better...having played in Chelsea, maybe the skies were a little bit too grey for me. So I think with the sunshine, I think it will help heal me a little bit quicker, a little bit more.
"I'm confident that San Diego Wave's medical team will be able to help me, and that I think the sun as well, and just being close to family and friends, I think it helps."
Macario was a well-known star in the making since her teenage years. She won the MAC Hermann Trophy as college soccer's best player twice while at Stanford University, making her only the sixth repeat winner of the award.
She left college a year early to sign with OL Lyonnes in January 2021 shortly after earning her U.S. citizenship and made her USWNT debut that month.
Macario was on the USWNT's Olympic roster in 2021 when the Americans earned the bronze medal.