Catarina Macario Scores First Women’s Super League Goal in Chelsea Debut

Catarina Macario has returned with a vengeance…

In her return from an ACL injury that had kept her out of the game since her former club team Lyon‘s final game of the 2021-22 campaign, the 24-year-old Brazilian soccer player scored a goal in her Chelsea debut.

Catarina MacarioMacario had originally hoped to be back sooner, but ended up missing more than 20 months, including the USWNT‘s participation in the Women’s World Cup in 2023.

But Macario, who plays internationally for the United States, wasn’t the only player to score her first Women’s Super League goals for Chelsea.

Nathalie Björn and Mayra Ramírez also netted goals for Chelsea as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday to go back to the top of the table, above Manchester City on goal difference.

Sweden defender Bjorn, who joined the Blues from Everton in January, broke the deadlock in the 38th minute after Leicester failed to clear a corner, hooking a shot back across the goal and over the head of keeper Lize Kop to make it 1-0.

Ramirez, another January arrival, added the second in the 44th minute with a brilliant solo effort, winning the ball in her own half and running half the length of the field before coolly rounding Kop and slotting the ball home.

Winger Johanna Rytting Kaneryd added a third before the Brazil-born Macario came off the bench to round out the scoring.

Chelsea moved back to the summit on 37 points thanks to a three-goal cushion over Manchester City, who beat Everton 2-1 on Saturday.

Vicky Losada Joins Manchester City on Two-Year Deal

Vicky Losada is heading to the City

The 30-year-old Spanish football midfielder and former Barcelona captain has joined Manchester City on a two-year deal, the club has announced.

Vicky Losada

Losada announced in June that she’d leave the Catalan club after 16 years, calling it “the most difficult decision” of her life.

She led Barca to a treble-winning season this year after securing the Primera Iberdrola, the Champions League and the Copa de la Reina.

“It was very hard to me because I’ve been playing for Barca since I was 14 years old. Sometimes you feel like you need a change and close a chapter in my life and when the offer came from England it made things easier for me and also winning the Champions League definitely brought me the security to make the decision,” Losada told ESPN about her decision to move to City.

“I want to be very honest to you, new girls from La Masia came up to the team. They were bringing a very good level and I wanted to get more minutes and it wasn’t happening but I was also so happy at the same time that I was always helping the team.

“I just wanted to be more important and basically happier when I wake up and I have to go to the training ground. So that was changing a little bit so I had my thoughts every night with myself and in the end it was the perfect end to a year that was unforgettable to me.”

Losada came through Barca’s academy system La Masia and spent the majority of her playing career at the club.

However, she did spend a year-and-a-half with Arsenal in the Women’s Super League where she won the league cup and the FA Cup.

She said this time with Arsenal made her eager for a return to the WSL, despite her love for her home side in Spain.

“I said all the time I was missing the English league. All these years, I came back to Barcelona because it was home for me but I am so happy to be coming back to England. It’s true that the weather never got used to that but I think I’ll be able to handle it,” she added.

“I think it is a very competitive league and they have very good players. Every year the best players in the world not just English or British players want to go to the WSL and also I think the structure, I can see it from here. We’re missing a lot of things in the Spanish league — visibility, TV, fans. I really think they’re doing a massive job and they’re looking after women’s football.”

Losada leaves Barca with six league titles, one Champions League title, seven Copa de la Reina titles, one Supercopa Femenina title and eight Copa Catalunya titles.