Latest news with #CatarinaMacario
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
U.S. Soccer Star Catarina Macario Scores 10-Year, $10 Million Sponsor Deal From Nike
Golden Boot: Catarina Macario, a midfielder for the U.S. national team, will be one of the highest-paid players in women's soccer thanks to a new shoe and apparel deal with Nike. Robin Alam/W hile knee injuries have cut into Catarina Macario's playing time the last three years, the 25-year-old knows how to put the ball in the back of the net, piling up 11 goals in 25 career appearances as a midfielder for the United States women's national soccer team and six goals in 18 Women's Super League matches last season as a striker for Chelsea. Now, Macario has her biggest score yet. On Tuesday, Nike announced that Macario, who was born in Brazil but moved to the U.S. at age 12 and went on to become the first naturalized citizen to compete for the American national team, would join its stable of soccer ambassadors, replacing Adidas as her shoe and apparel sponsor. Between a signing bonus and annual payments, the deal is set to pay Macario $10 million over 10 years, with options in the final two years of the contract, according to a person with knowledge of the arrangement. Macario can also boost that figure through incentives and royalties tied to signature products. Apparel and boot deals have become quite common for women's players, now representing 27% of all soccer deals in the category versus the men's share of 73%, according to research firm SponsorUnited—a significant shift from the 83-17 gender split four years ago. Few, however, can match the value of Macario's new deal. Industry insiders estimate that a typical apparel and boot deal will pay a women's professional soccer player between $60,000 and $70,000 per year. The sport's top stars can earn considerably more, ranging up to about $800,000, with additional performance incentives available for individual or team achievements such as a World Cup victory. On the other hand, contracts generally contain financial penalties or reductions for injury absences or a significant decline in form. With the growth of professional women's soccer leagues, those requirements have evolved to include club play in some cases, but traditionally they have been linked to international competition. 'The biggest companies, especially with women's soccer, are quite obsessed with the national teams,' says Josep M. Figueras, who does not work with Macario but runs the athlete image rights and branding division of Spanish sports and entertainment agency You First. 'These days, with UEFA investing so much, with the Champions League getting a lot of exposure and with the men's teams investing so much, the level of the leagues and the clubs' competitions have increased a lot. And that's why in terms of contracts, you can negotiate even more.' Macario seemed destined for stardom from the moment she arrived at Stanford University eight years ago, eventually leading the Cardinal to national championships in 2017 and 2019, scoring 63 goals in 69 career matches and twice winning the Hermann Trophy, given to the nation's top collegiate soccer player. Since making her debut with the U.S. national team in 2021, she has claimed trophies at the 2021, 2022 and 2024 SheBelieves Cups and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, although she missed the 2023 Women's World Cup after tearing her ACL the previous June and withdrew from the 2024 Paris Olympics because of knee irritation. At the club level, Macario won France's Première Ligue and the UEFA Women's Champions League with Lyon in 2022. She signed with Chelsea on a free transfer in 2023 and has won titles in England's Women's Super League in each of her two seasons with the team, as well as this year's Women's FA Cup. Now, her Nike deal cements her status as one of the sport's highest-paid players. Between that partnership and her contract with Chelsea, which Forbes estimates is worth roughly $1 million annually, Macario is set to collect at least $2 million during the 2025-26 season. That figure, which does not include pay for her appearances with the U.S. national team or her other sponsorships, would have landed her no lower than fifth on Forbes' list of the highest-paid players at the 2023 Women's World Cup, which was headlined by now-retired American stars Alex Morgan ($7.1 million in total estimated earnings) and Megan Rapinoe ($7 million), followed by Spain's two-time Ballon d'Or Féminin winner Alexia Putellas ($4 million) and U.S. forward Trinity Rodman ($2.3 million). Nike was responsible for another landmark contract in women's soccer when it lured Ada Hegerberg away from Puma in 2020 for a reported $1.1 million over 10 years. Since then, endorsements have only grown more lucrative for female athletes. SponsorUnited found that marketing partnerships in women's sports grew 12% year-over-year in 2024, continuing a years-long run in the double digits, and across Forbes' 2024 list of the world's 20 highest-paid female athletes (from all sports), off-field earnings rose nearly 11%, from a combined $172 million in 2023 to $190.5 million last year. That surge coincides with a broader investment boom in women's sports. The 14 clubs in the National Women's Soccer League are now worth $134 million on average, according to Forbes estimates, an astonishing rise in a sport where franchises had historically traded for less than $5 million. Meanwhile, the popularity of Caitlin Clark, along with broader optimism around women's basketball, has helped send the value of WNBA teams skyrocketing to an average of $272 million. A recent report from Deloitte projects that women's elite sports will collectively record $2.35 billion in global revenue this year, a sizable gain from 2024's $1.88 billion and 2023's $981 million. Apparel and boot deals are seeing similar acceleration. 'You feel that it's not good for a player to sign a deal longer than two or three years because you know that the prices are going to go up,' You First's Figueras says. 'It's growing, and you can feel it.' MORE FROM FORBES Forbes A Whole New Shoe Game For Women By Justin Birnbaum Forbes The World's Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2024 By Brett Knight Forbes The NWSL's Most Valuable Teams 2025 By Brett Knight Forbes Inside Michele Kang's Plan To Revolutionize Women's Soccer: 'Not Some Corporate DEI Project' By Justin Birnbaum
The Guardian
18-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Rose Lavelle returns as Emma Hayes names domestic-heavy roster for US friendlies
With US coach Emma Hayes giving many of her Europe-based players a break, there were several new faces on the national team Wednesday for a trio of upcoming matches against Ireland and Canada. Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario and Emily Fox were among the players given time off after the European season. One exception was defender Naomi Girma, who is working her way back from a calf injury. The United States plays Ireland on 26 June in Commerce City, Colorado, and again on 29 June in Cincinnati. The team plays Canada on 2 July in Washington DC. The roster includes four players who have been called up to the national team for the first time: defenders Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale and Izzy Rodriguez, and midfielder Sam Meza. Six players on the 25-player roster have not yet appeared in a game for the senior national team. Hayes, who took over as national team coach last year, has been looking at new players as she prepares the team for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. She has given 27 players their first national team call-ups. 'We want to continue to improve our understanding of how we want to play and widen the player pool, and those are some of the key goals of this three-game window,' Hayes said in a statement Wednesday. 'On this roster, we have players with a varied amount of experience, and my priority is to deepen the exposures required for international soccer. These are three challenging matches and as always, we want to win, but also to make sure we are ready for the next steps.' One veteran player who is on the roster is midfielder Rose Lavelle, who hasn't played for the national team in more than six months after having ankle surgery. Lavelle recently returned to play for her club team, Gotham FC, in the National Women's Soccer League. Goalkeepers: Angelina Anderson (Angel City), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals) Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Defenders: Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City) Midfielders: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns) Forwards: Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City)
Al Arabiya
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
USWNT's Latest Roster Features New Players While Europe-Based Stars Take a Break
With US coach Emma Hayes giving many of her Europe-based players a break, there were several new faces on the national team Wednesday for a trio of upcoming matches against Ireland and Canada. Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario, and Emily Fox were among the players given time off after the European season. One exception was defender Naomi Girma, who is working her way back from a calf injury. The US plays Ireland on June 26 in Commerce City, Colorado, and again on June 29 in Cincinnati. The team plays Canada on July 2 in Washington, D.C. The roster includes four players who have been called up to the national team for the first time: defenders Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale, and Izzy Rodriguez, and midfielder Sam Meza. Six players on the 25-player roster have not yet appeared in a game for the senior national team. Hayes, who took over as national team coach last year, has been looking at new players as she prepares the team for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. She has given 27 players their first national team call-ups. 'We want to continue to improve our understanding of how we want to play and widen the player pool, and those are some of the key goals of this three-game window,' Hayes said in a statement Wednesday. 'On this roster we have players with a varied amount of experience, and my priority is to deepen the exposures required for international soccer. These are three challenging matches, and, as always, we want to win, but also to make sure we are ready for the next steps.' One veteran player who is on the roster is midfielder Rose Lavelle, who hasn't played for the national team in more than six months after having ankle surgery. Lavelle recently returned to play for her club team, Gotham FC, in the National Women's Soccer League. Goalkeepers: Angelina Anderson (Angel City), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign), Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals) Defenders: Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City) Midfielders: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns)
Associated Press
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
USWNT's latest roster features new players while Europe-based stars take a break
With U.S. coach Emma Hayes giving many of her Europe-based players a break, there were several new faces on the national team Wednesday for a trio of upcoming matches against Ireland and Canada. Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario and Emily Fox were among the players given time off after the European season. One exception was defender Naomi Girma, who is working her way back from a calf injury. The United States plays Ireland on June 26 in Commerce City, Colorado, and again on June 29 in Cincinnati. The team plays Canada on July 2 in Washington, D.C. The roster includes four players who have been called up to the national team for the first time: defenders Jordyn Bugg, Lilly Reale and Izzy Rodriguez, and midfielder Sam Meza. Six players on the 25-player roster have not yet appeared in a game for the senior national team. Hayes, who took over as national team coach last year, has been looking at new players as she prepares the team for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. She has given 27 players their first national team call-ups. 'We want to continue to improve our understanding of how we want to play and widen the player pool, and those are some of the key goals of this three-game window,' Hayes said in a statement Wednesday. 'On this roster, we have players with a varied amount of experience, and my priority is to deepen the exposures required for international soccer. These are three challenging matches and as always, we want to win, but also to make sure we are ready for the next steps.' One veteran player who is on the roster is midfielder Rose Lavelle, who hasn't played for the national team in more than six months after having ankle surgery. Lavelle recently returned to play for her club team, Gotham FC, in the National Women's Soccer League. U.S. roster: Goalkeepers: Angelina Anderson (Angel City), Claudia Dickey (Seattle Reign) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals) Defenders: Kerry Abello (Orlando Pride), Jordyn Bugg (Seattle Reign), Naomi Girma (Chelsea), Lilly Reale (Gotham FC), Tara McKeown (Washington Spirit), Avery Patterson (Houston Dash), Izzy Rodriguez (Kansas City Current), Emily Sams (Orlando Pride), Emily Sonnett (Gotham FC), Gisele Thompson (Angel City) Midfielders: Croix Bethune (Washington Spirit), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Claire Hutton (Kansas City Current), Rose Lavelle (Gotham FC), Sam Meza (Seattle Reign), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns) Forwards: Lynn Biyendolo (Seattle Reign), Michelle Cooper (Kansas City Current), Yazmeen Ryan (Houston Dash), Emma Sears (Racing Louisville), Ally Sentnor (Utah Royals), Alyssa Thompson (Angel City) ___ AP soccer:
Fox Sports
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
What's next for the USWNT: Lineup changes vs. Jamaica, and a camp with the USMNT?
Over the weekend, the U.S. women's national team cruised to a 3-0 win over China on goals by Catarina Macario, Sam Coffey and captain Lindsey Heaps. The Americans out-shot their opponent 18-4, including 7-2 in shots on goal. Highlights included goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce earning her second cap and second clean sheet for the senior squad, Kansas City Current captain Lo'eau LaBonta becoming the oldest player in USWNT history to earn her first cap at age 32, and Naomi Girma playing a full 90 minutes in her first U.S. match this calendar year. The USWNT returns to the pitch Tuesday night in St. Louis when it faces Jamaica in another friendly to end this camp window. On Monday, manager Emma Hayes said to expect lineup changes. "At this moment in time I'm interested in developing experiences for the individuals, but within a framework that we want our players to work towards," Hayes said. "Nothing has changed in terms of our objectives. There will be changes tomorrow and I'm taking this camp and next camp to do all of those things. "The things we need to dial up in this next performance are one, things we'll work on in training and two, we'll work on in the classroom when we go back. And I look forward to seeing how our team achieves that, not just the starting group, but the group that comes in. Because I want to make sure that whether you start, whether you come into the game, it shouldn't alter our level. If anything, we should keep finding other levels in us." Subs we could see may include giving first caps to Seattle Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and defender Kerry Abello as Hayes looks to continue widening her talent pool ahead of the 2027 World Cup. U23s split matches in Germany The USWNT U23 squad recently played two games in Germany and split the results. Hayes was able to watch both matches and said she was pleased with the progress that age group is making as it pertains to the development of younger players that could positively impact the senior team in the future. "Two tremendous games," Hayes said. "The exposures we got for our players playing a top German team that also had five overage players, I never once looked at that game and thought anybody was out of place there, which is a starting point. "This is why Germany and England and Spain, on many levels, have taken leaps in the right direction. Because they've had a U23s program, and programming at U20s and U17s, that has been above the volume we've been doing in the U.S. So addressing that balance is critical for future success and these two games will, I think, be pivotal for the success of these players, whether they'll be eligible for [the 2027 World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and/or the 2031 World Cup]." USWNT-USMNT joint camp? While the USWNT prepares for a match in St. Louis, the USMNT is training about 300 miles north in Chicago as it readies itself for pre-Gold Cup friendlies against Turkiye (June 7) and Switzerland (June 10). It's not often that the two senior teams train at the same time. So Hayes was asked if she'd ever consider having a joint camp with the men's side and if anything could be gained from doing so. Hayes and USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino are close friends, and Pochettino has said in the past that his team can take inspiration from the USWNT's success as it prepares for the 2026 World Cup. "To be honest with you, it's not on my radar," Hayes said, noting that the USWNT's schedule is mostly planned out between now and the 2027 World Cup and that it can be a tricky matrix to determine who and where and when the team is playing. However, with the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Atlanta expected to open in spring 2026, those opportunities to train at the same time could very well "arise more organically," Hayes said. "But of course, it has to be in line with where our games are and things like that," she added. "Yes is the bottom line, but not an easy answer to answer based on all [those] factors." Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman . Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
