The San Diego Wave have won the Catarina Macario sweepstakes, reportedly signing the Chelsea forward to a five-year contract, per Sportico.
Macario will reportedly earn $8 million in guaranteed money on the deal, which runs through 2030. The contract is believed to be the largest in total value in women's pro soccer, per Sportico, and includes a signing bonus and additional incentives.
Macario was linked to the Wave last month, with ESPN indicating that San Diego had become the frontrunner in a race to bring the forward to the NWSL.
The U.S. women's national team star is expected to join the Wave immediately, with San Diego reportedly paying a $300,000 transfer fee to Chelsea to trigger her release. Chelsea has six games remaining in the Women's Super League season, and currently sits in third place.
With this trade, Macario returns to San Diego, where she lived as a teenager while pursuing a soccer career. This will also mark Macario's first time in the NWSL: The forward opted to go straight from a collegiate career at Stanford to play for OL Lyonnes in the French Première Ligue, before joining Chelsea's roster in 2023.
Born in Brazil, Macario later chose to play for the United States at an international level despite also being eligible to play for the Brazilian national team. She has 29 appearances with the USWNT, scoring 16 goals.
Macario's rise has been slightly muted by a series of injuries. In 2022, the forward tore her ACL, an injury that kept her sidelined for over a year and led to her missing the 2023 World Cup. Additional knee irritation led to her being taken off the Olympic roster in 2024.
Since returning from her ACL injury, Macario has played in 35 games for Chelsea across three seasons, recording seven goals and nine assists.
She'll be welcomed by a San Diego team that is in great need of offensive production. The Wave fell to the Houston Dash in their home opener on Saturday, losing 1-0 despite out-shooting the Dash 19-5 and getting nine shots on target.
