Stanford’s Catarina Macario turns pro with Lyon

Olympique Lyonnais are delighted to welcome Catarina, who thus becomes the 11th American player to join the seven-time Women's Champions League winners and current title holders.

Macario signs on a two-and-a-half year deal after announcing earlier this month that she would forgo her final year of college at Stanford to turn professional.

Macario would have nearly certainly been the first pick in Wednesday night's NWSL draft, but the former Stanford University star instead opted to begin her professional career in Europe. On a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Macario said she reached the decision to go pro after consulting with family.

Recently, multiple National Women's Soccer League stars - including forwards Alex Morgan and Christen Press '11 and midfielders Tobin Heath, Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis - have moved to Europe for the higher salaries as well as the ability to choose the team for which they play.

"I just decided that through the Covid uncertainty and the restrictions we are facing that I just wanted to have consistent playing, especially ahead of the Olympics", Macario said on Tuesday. And so I am fresh out of college and I'm just looking for a new adventure.

"It is a pleasure to start my professional career at OL and to find myself surrounded by the best players in the world", Macario said.

She became a United States citizen in October and has joined every USWNT camp since, including their ongoing January camp.

However, Macario is still waiting on approval from Federation Internationale de Football Association to allow her to play games with the national side. She scored 63 goals and made 47 assists in 68 matches with Stanford, and she has also distinguished herself by winning the last two MAC Hermann Trophies for the best female University footballer of the year. This means that Macario will be a committed Lyon player until after the 2022-2023 European soccer season.

"I would love to play in the NWSL one day and I know that will happen", Macario said.

"I'm not sure necessarily when, but obviously as an American it is my dream to play where I reside and so I will definitely be coming back", she said.