San Diego Wave FC has announced the signing of U.S. women’s national team striker Catarina Macario from Chelsea.
Macario, who was the USWNT’s top goal scorer in 2025, will return to her hometown of San Diego on a contract to 2030.
The Wave activated the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL’s) new High Impact Player rule, which allows clubs to spend up to $1 million above the salary cap on those who qualify, to acquire the 26-year-old.
Macario joins for an undisclosed transfer fee, but will not be available for her new club immediately due to a foot injury.
“Cat is a world-class player who has consistently performed at the highest levels of the game,” San Diego Wave sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton said in a club statement. “She is an intelligent, technical, and creative attacker with exceptional vision and composure in the final third. Her ability to unlock defenses and influence matches in multiple ways will further strengthen an already strong foundation.”
The Athletic reported earlier this month that Macario was set to sign with the Wave following months of uncertainty about her future.
Macario won two WSL titles with Chelsea (Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
She signed with Chelsea in the summer of 2023 from Lyon (now OL Lyonnes), but was returning from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at the time and did not make her Chelsea debut until March 2024.
Macario’s deal with the Women’s Super League (WSL) champions was set to expire this summer, and she had rejected their offer to extend her contract. The forward made 49 appearances for Chelsea and scored 12 goals.
The move to the NWSL sees Macario return to the city she moved to with her family from Brazil when she was aged 12. The Wave leases its training space from the San Diego Surf, the youth club Macario played for, located just down the road from where she will attend practice.
“This city has played such an important role in my journey, and the opportunity to come back and represent it means a lot to me,” Macario said. “From my first conversations with the club, I felt the ambition and the vision for what we can accomplish together, including bringing trophies to this city.”
Ashton added that “having a player of her (Marario’s) caliber return to her hometown and represent San Diego makes this signing even more meaningful for our organization.”
Since joining the Wave in June 2024, Ashton has facilitated a number of changes to the roster and staff of a team that was only two years old in the NWSL and had once counted Alex Morgan, Naomi Girma, and Jaedyn Shaw among its most prominent signings. Following the departures of all three (Morgan is now a minority investor in the club), plus manager Casey Stoney’s exit, San Diego’s personnel looks scarcely recognizable from its first three seasons.
Head coach Jonas Eidevall was hired in January 2025 following his Arsenal departure. Despite the heavy roster turnover and a midseason slump, the Wave finished their 2025 campaign 10-7-9, placing them sixth out of 14 teams. The club recruited several key international players, including a number of France national team players in Kenza Dali, Delphine Cascarino (who has since left), Perle Morroni, and Laurina Fazer.
The club has since recruited a number of Brazilian players; the Wave signed 20-year-old Dudinha last summer, and has also added Ludmila and Gabi Portilho to the roster. Macario, who will wear the No. 20 for the Wave, is fluent in French and Portuguese.
On Saturday, March 28, the Wave will host a formal welcome for Macario during halftime of its 5:45pm (PT) home match against the Chicago Stars.