Catarina Macario will be ruled out of playing in World Cup qualifiers for the U.S. women’s national team as it was announced that she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during Lyon’s final league game of the season.
The injury occurred on June 1 in Lyon’s 4-0 win over Issy. It was questionable why Macario would be played in this game as the team had already secured the league title, but she was forced to after 13 minutes with the injury.
It was a banner season for the 22-year-old helped Les Lyonnaises to regain the league title as well as lift the UEFA Women’s Champions League crown. She would make 35 appearances and score 23 goals in all competitions.
“Unfortunately, injuries are a natural part of football,” Macario wrote in a post on Twitter. “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.”
The news of the Brazil-born midfielder’s injuries comes at a bad time as the U.S. make preparations for World Cup qualifying. They are slated to play against Colombia later this followed by the Concacaf Women’s Championship, which will determine the region’s representatives for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Despite being possibly out of action for six months, Macario added that she was confident in recovery.
“As challenging as the recovery process may be, I believe that God is in control of everything, so I have no doubt that with the right support system, patience, and hard work, I will be back better and hungrier than ever before,” she said.
