HARRISON, N.J. — Forward Katarina Macario is expected to miss the Olympics after suffering “knee inflammation” during training this week, according to U.S. Women’s National Team coach Emma Hayes.
Forward Lynn Williams, who competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Cup, will replace Macario on the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s 2024 Olympic roster.
Defender Emily Sams will be one of four substitutes for the USWNT to replace Williams. Sams trained with the USWNT this week.
“She’s devastated,” Hayes said of Macario. “It’s not a long-term situation. (She) is not going to recover in time.
“I feel really bad for Cat. She’s someone who’s worked hard over the last 12 months. She’s really worked to get there, but it just hasn’t happened.”
Hayes has revealed that Macario will return to London to receive treatment at both his club and Hayes’ former club Chelsea.
The U.S. women’s national team coach added that Macario seemed a little irritable ahead of training this week.
Hayes called the situation “complicated.”
Macario tore her ACL while playing for her former club Lyon in May 2022 and was out for a year and a half, which resulted in her missing last year’s World Cup.
In a message shared to her social media on Friday, Macario wrote, “I’m sad to be withdrawing from the Olympic roster and not being able to represent Team USA. I will be rooting for the team every step of the way, and the girls are ready ❤️.”
She returned to action with Chelsea earlier this year and returned to the U.S. Women’s National Team in April for the SheBelieves Cup, marking her first international appearance in two years.
Williams said he hopes Macario recovers quickly.
“I think it’s possible to have both of those things at the same time. You can be devastated for your team and excited for yourself at the same time,” she said Friday. “But right now, I’m not necessarily thinking, ‘Oh, I’m excited for myself.’ I’m thinking, ‘How can I help the team? What does the team need?’
“I think that’s been my role from the beginning as a substitute. Be prepared and be ready when needed. Obviously, I was devastated for Cat.
“Being in this group is such a unique experience. There are people competing to get on the team, but there are also people who understand the hardest things. Obviously, it’s going to take Kat some time to digest it, but (I) send her all the love and hugs.”
Hayes stressed that the team will adapt.
“I always considered it 22, and with the rule change, nothing has changed,” she said. “What has changed is that without Cat, we have to think of some different variations for the team. I’ve already thought about that. For us, it’s just a matter of looking at it now and making sure everyone else knows what those adjustments are.”
Hayes said Williams’ experience will help the team.
“I’m an honest person and she’s an honest person, so we fit together well,” Hayes said of Williams. “We’ve been really honest from the beginning. It’s been fun to be around her. I told her last night, she seems really calm. She’s been through this before, she’s been through this before, so I think she’s calm and can handle anything. She’ll always remind me that it’s her job to make my life difficult.”
After a disappointing performance at last summer’s Women’s World Cup, the United States will be competing in its first major tournament under new coach Hayes.
The former Chelsea manager has just two warm-up games ahead of his side’s first Olympic game against Zambia in Nice on July 25.
The Olympic women’s soccer competition begins with a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout round. The women’s competition alternates with the men’s competition in cities across France.
The group stage begins on July 25. There are three groups of four teams each.
Group A includes France, Canada, Colombia and New Zealand. Group B includes the United States, Zambia, Germany and Australia.
Group C includes Spain, Japan, Nigeria and Brazil.
The quarterfinals will be held on August 3rd, and the semifinals on August 6th.
The bronze medal match will be held in Lyon on August 9, and the gold medal match will be held in Paris on August 10.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
