Since the start of the year, there had been a lot of talk about head coach Emma Hayes’ desire to “bridge the gap” within the U.S. women’s national team. The first tier of players is coming off a gold medal at last summer’s Olympics. However, Hayes wanted to see if the younger generation could do more to challenge the presumed incumbents, deepen the player pool and be ready for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Hayes received some positive answers in a 2-0 win over Colombia to open the SheBelieves Cup, though it was a player who has been on the scene for four years — and endured some brutal luck along the way — who was a difference-maker, that being Catarina Macario.
Macario is one of those players who has seemed to be on the cusp of a breakout for what seems like forever. But it’s been more a case of two steps forward, two steps back. Macario suffered an ACL tear in June 2022, shortly after winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Lyon. Macario’s recovery was long — 20 months — and arduous, so much so that she missed the 2023 World Cup.
Macario appeared to finally be ready to complete her comeback last summer, after making an impressive…
