It was thought that Catarina Macario, one of the U.S. women’s national team’s brightest young stars, could be back from her torn ACL back in April of this year. It’s now November, and she has yet to step back on the pitch.
The 23-year-old came off after 13 minutes of Lyon’s final league match of the 2021/22 season against Issy on June 1 last summer, and four days later confirmed that she had suffered a torn left ACL in what was a meaningless match.
It’s been a long recovery for the USWNT star, and the national team has definitely felt her absence in the attacking third.
“Unfortunately, injuries are a natural part of football,” Macario wrote in a social media post announcing her injury last summer. “Tearing an ACL is never easy, and although I am devastated to be away from the field and my teammates for a few months, I could not be more proud of my first year as a professional footballer and to have helped the team reconquer two big titles this season.
Macario joined Women’s Super League giants Chelsea this past summer, but has yet to make her debut for the club.
While there was hope that Macario would return in time to take part in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, there’s no fears that her return to action could cause issues with her ability to ramp back up to fitness…
