USWNT and Chelsea forward Cat Macario reportedly draws interest from NWSL clubs

It was only a matter of time before NWSL clubs began expressing interest in Chelsea forward Cat Macario. According to ESPN, several NWSL teams are monitoring the situation as Macario’s contract with Chelsea expires on July 1.

Under FIFA regulations, Macario will be eligible to sign a pre-contract with a new club six months before her deal ends, beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Interest from the NWSL comes as no surprise, though the league’s salary cap has previously made a move unrealistic. That may now be changing, however, with the proposed introduction of the “High Impact Player” rule.

The "High Impact Player" rule (HIP) would allow teams in the NWSL the ability to spend up to $1 million dollars outside of the salary cap on star players that meet a certain standard. 

Despite the NWSL's governing body approving the HIP rule, the NWSL Players Association isn't so sure. The NWSLPA has raised concerns over the speed and clarity of the way the rule was created and how it will be used. The NWSLPA instead has proposed raising the salary cap by $1 million beginning in 2026. 

This all impacts a player like Macario, because she very likely would be considered a "high impact player," however, there is no update as to when this rule, if adopted, would begin. 

Macario has played in Europe for her entire professional career and is a standout forward for Chelsea, second to the top of the table in the Women's Super League. She's also made her way back into the U.S. Women's National Team rotation after missing about two years with ACL and persistent injuries. 

Wherever Macario chooses to play, the team and league will be lucky because she is in her top form. After recovering from being out of the scene for more than two years, she's returned to both club and country, scoring goals and making an impact as a false nine among other roles. 

For the USWNT, she's been leading the way with goals, scoring three goals in her last two appearances to end the USWNT's 2025 year. In total, she's scored seven goals for the USWNT this year. Macario is now playing alongside her USWNT teammates Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson at Chelsea. Girma and Thompson both made their way from the NWSL to the WSL in transfers that were over $1 million.

Macario has been quiet in recent weeks for Chelsea, and as rumors and sources speculate, she could find her way back to the States. 

Macario played college soccer at Stanford, where she won the MAC Herman trophy two times and also won a NCAA College Cup championship in her junior season. Macario forgoed her senior season to begin her professional career, which brought her overseas to initially play for Lyon before eventually landing in London with Chelsea.