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US international forward Catarina Macario has joined the San Diego Wave on a deal worth $8m that runs through the 2030 season. The contract is reportedly the largest by total value in women’s soccer history.
The Wave announced the move Friday. Sportico first reported that the Wave were nearing the acquisition last week. ESPN reported that Macario would join the NWSL side immediately rather than in the summer, on a transfer fee of about $300,000.
Macario’s contract with Chelsea was set to expire at the end of the WSL season. San Diego will use the NWSL’s new high impact player rule to pay Macario.
The 26-year-old projects to immediately become the focal point of the Wave attack. San Diego have won two and lost one to start this NWSL season. They finished sixth in 2025, their first season under former Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall. Primarily based in a 4-2-3-1, the Wave were the third highest-scoring side in the regular season, with their 41 goals only trailing the Kansas City Current and Washington Spirit. Last year’s center forward, primarily Canada international Adriana Leon, often dropped deep in possession to play level with her attacking midfielder and wingers.
Eidevall’s side generated plum scoring opportunities by passing into the heart of the box, often capping extensive buildup sequences. San Diego led all NWSL teams with a 59.5% rate of possession, more than 6% higher than any other side, and are second this season with 61%.
The frontline was retooled a bit over the winter. San Diego acquired winger Ludmila from the Chicago Stars via intraleague transfer, giving Eidevall one of the league’s most dynamic attackers to play alongside 20-year-old Brazilian forward Dudinha. Another compatriot, Gabi Portilho, was brought in from Gotham FC, adding a good pressing forward. Delphine Cascarino’s exit stung, but replacing her final-third guile with Ludmila and Macario leaves the team with plenty of firepower.
San Diego’s system should greatly benefit from Macario’s complete approach to playing striker. Her previous years spent in midfield make her a consistent contributor in buildup and difficult to dispossess, while her ability in the final third may better manifest in San Diego than she was able to under Sonia Bompastor at Chelsea.
The move also represents a homecoming for Macario. Born in São Luís, Brazil, she began her development in the academies of Flamengo, Cruzeiro and Santos before her family relocated to San Diego when she was 12. She spent five years with the local San Diego Surf, setting her youth league’s all-time scoring record, before playing collegiately for Stanford. There, she helped lead the Cardinal to NCAA titles in 2017 and 2019, linking up with future international teammates Naomi Girma and Sophia Wilson.
Macario broke out professionally with OL Lyonnes, impressing en route to the 2021-22 UEFA W Champions League title and earning a move to Chelsea in 2023 while Emma Hayes was manager. Injuries kept her from cementing a starting role at Kingsmeadow, and Hayes’s departure for the USWNT left Macario outside Bompastor’s plans while she recovered.
As San Diego’s focal point, Macario should be better able to reassert her case to be part of Hayes’s core with the US. Every player wants to compete at every World Cup held during their career, but making next summer’s squad would be especially sweet with the tournament being held in Brazil, her nation of birth. Macario has scored 16 goals across her 29 international caps, including eight goals from 10 national team appearances in 2025. She earned bronze with the US at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but missed the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics due to injury.
