Cat Macario of the USA comments on joining San Diego Wave: ‘There’s no place like home’
The San Diego Wave FC have officially acquired United States national team forward Catarina Macario from Chelsea in a transaction valued at approximately $8 million, which, according to ESPN sources, is thought to be the highest total contract value in the history of women’s soccer.
“I spent five years in Europe, and I had a great time, but there’s no place like home,” stated Macario, who has been playing in Europe since 2021.
Macario’s contract extends through the 2030 season, as announced by the NWSL club on Friday. Wave sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton described the signing as “monumental.”
To secure Macario, the Wave utilized the High Impact Player rule, which permits teams to exceed the salary cap for players who meet specific criteria. Sources informed ESPN that the transfer fee was around $300,000, and her contract with Chelsea was set to expire this summer. The transfer was finalized prior to the NWSL’s March 16 transfer deadline.
“This is a monumental signing, one that reflects not only our ambition on the field, but the unwavering commitment of our ownership group to invest in excellence and build a championship-caliber organization,” Ashton remarked on Friday.
Macario, 26, was born in Brazil but relocated to San Diego at the age of 12, where she played for the San Diego Surf youth club. She later attended Stanford, where she secured two national championships and received the MAC Hermann Trophy twice as the nation’s top soccer player.
“I have had teammates play for the Wave,” Macario noted. “Obviously, I’ve always wished that there would be a professional soccer club here in San Diego, at least when I was growing up and playing here for [youth club] San Diego Surf. So when the opportunity arose, it just made sense. It felt like it was the right time.”
It is currently unclear when Macario will make her debut. Due to injury concerns, she last participated in a club match in December and did not indicate when she might return to the field.
“Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game,” the forward said. “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 assist me, and I believe the sun as well, and just being close to family and friends, I think it helps.”
Macario opted to forgo her senior season at Stanford to turn professional, signing with OL Lyon. She spent two seasons with the French club before joining Chelsea. Throughout her professional career, she has netted 44 goals in 105 appearances.
Macario, who became a U.S. citizen in 2020, has scored 16 goals in 29 appearances for the national team. Last year, she recorded eight goals in 10 matches for the United States.
“Just as meaningful is what this moment represents beyond the game, San Diego is home to Cat,” Ashton stated. “There’s something incredibly special about her returning to play in front of and for this community; we know how much the city means to her, and we’re proud that she’ll now represent it on this stage.”
The Wave signed Macario through a new mechanism known as the “high impact player” rule. Initiated by the NWSL’s board of governors last December, this rule (which allows teams to pay certain criteria-meeting stars from a fund of up to $1 million outside of the salary cap) has faced challenges from the NWSL Players Association.
Nonetheless, Ashton commended the rule that enabled the acquisition of Macario.
“There’s a lot of conversations around this rule and criteria and mechanisms and what this looks like,” Ashton remarked. “I think ultimately, we were in a position at the club where we have a choice to maximize this rule.”
“It came at an incredibly good time for us, because before this rule was in place, quite honestly, it wasn’t a realistic option to bring Cat home. When this all kind of came into fruition, it changed everything, and if not for it, Cat wouldn’t be sitting here right now, most likely.”
“It’s a step in the right direction … ultimately, as all things do, it will evolve, I’m sure, over time.”
The Wave currently holds a 2W-0D-1L record at the start of the 2026 season. During halftime of Saturday’s home match against the Chicago Stars, Macario will be introduced to the local audience at Snapdragon Stadium.
Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.
