San Diego Wave FC officially announced the signing of USWNT forward and former Chelsea forward, Catarina Macario to a five-year contract through the 2030 season.
The news was reported by Sportico a week ago that Macario would receive the largest value contract in women’s’ soccer history earning $8 million over five seasons. Macario was under contract through the summer, but the Wave paid a reported $300,000 transfer fee to bring her to the Wave sooner.
The Wave held a press conference with Macario
and sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton Snapdragon Stadium in front of media, season ticket members, and members of the supporter’s group, the San Diego Sirens.
Here are some of our top quotes and moments from the monumental event.
The press conference began with an opening remark from a member of the Wave ownership group, Sabrina Levine-Leichtman, the daughter of Lauren Leichtman who is considered the controlling owner of the club. Levine-Leichtman’s brief statement was one of the first public statements from the ownership group in front of San Diego media and supporters.
“Today is a special day for San Diego Wave and for this city. “Our vision for this club has always been to build something that San Diego can be proud of. A club that competes for championships, authentically represents this community, and continues to drive the growth of this incredible game,” said Levine-Leichtman. “(Macario’s) story is a San Diego story. One of the elite talents in soccer, she developed her skills right here in our backyard. And today, she returns home to represent our club and the city at the highest level.”
Macario moved to San Diego at 12 years old and played at the Del Mar Polo Fields, the home of her youth club San Diego Surf. The Surf now rent out a portion of their fields to the Wave for their training facilities where Macario will now play, but Macario said it now looks a little bit different.
“It’s surreal, the first day that I walked out and was actually in the wave facility and I got to see, the fields that I used to play on, but I think back in the day we used to have horses, so it’s changed a little bit, you know, it’s gotten a little bit more bougie,” Macario said. “Yeah, but it’s it’s unreal. I’m still processing everything, but yeah, I think it just, it means the absolute world to me. I never would have imagined, I guess, that, 12 year old Cat, not knowing how to speak English, being super scared, would one day come back, get to represent her hometown team.”
The 26-year-old did not give a completely clear answer on when she may make her first appearance with the club, but did joke about her return to play. She last played with Chelsea in December Most fun answer was her response to a question about her physical health and returning from injury. Macario has not played a match since December 2025 before being ruled out with a heel injury
“Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game, and I think that’s, something that’s worth, I guess, when you when you play it’s a risk you have to be willing to take, but, when you’re home, it almost just makes everything better,” Macario said. “I obviously haven’t played in Chelsea, maybe the skies are a little bit too gray for me, so maybe the sunshine will help heal me a little bit quicker.
“It was, unfortunate, the past, 2 or 3 years, but, I’m confident that San Diego waves medical team will be able to help me.”
Wave Sporting Director and General Manager, Camille Ashton hasn’t spoken often to the press, but was available to speak about the monumental signing, and arguably the biggest move Ashton has ever made in her career leading a club.
“Cat (Macario) is a world class player of exceptional quality, intelligence, and character. Her technical ability, vision, and goal scoring instinct make me one of the most exciting talent’s in the game today,” Ashton said. “Just as importantly, she brings a professionalism and competitive drive that will both complement and elevate the high standards already established within our squad.
“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 also spoke about the importance of the NWSL’s new high impact player rule in bringing Macario to the Wave. Ashton said that without it Macario likely wouldn’t be with the Wave. The rule is still being contended by the NWSL Player’s Association who filed a grievance regarding the rule holding that it’s implementation should have been bargained for between the league and the players.
“I know there’s a lot of conversations around this rule, and, um, criteria, and then, you know, mechanisms, and what this looks like. And I think, ultimately, we were in a position as a club where we have a choice to maximize this rule, and it came at an incredibly good time for us, because before this rule was in place, quite honestly, it wasn’t an option, realistically, to bring Cat home.
“When this all kind of came into fruition, it changed everything, and if not for it, (Macario) wouldn’t be sitting here right now most likely. I think this is a step in the right direction as a rule, and ultimately, as all things do, it will evolve, I’m sure, over time. But credit to Cat and just so happy for her and proud of her for, for being able to to be part of this, and hopefully this is just the start, in this league and in women’s sports in general.”
Macario will not be available for selection this weekend, but will be formally introduced at halftime for the Wave’s match this weekend against the Chicago Stars.
