Cat Macario out with injury, Lynn Williams in for Paris Olympics as USWNT pivots – Equalizer Soccer

Orlando Ramirez for USA TODAY Sports

Midfielder Catarina Macario will no longer join the U.S. women’s national team in Paris for the Olympics, head coach Emma Hayes told media on Friday morning, due to “minor knee irritation.” Hayes said Macario, who suffered a torn ACL in 2022, will not recover in time for the forthcoming Games.

Playing it safe given Macario’s injury history, alternate Lynn Williams will now move onto the official 18-player roster. Emily Sams will then take Williams’ place as an alternate, both moves pending approval by the necessary Olympic committees and FIFA.

Hayes said Williams’ shift from alternate to the active roster does not change her strategy heading into the Games.

“I always viewed it as 22,” Hayes said Friday during her press conference, referring to the size of her roster inclusive of alternates. “Absolutely nothing changes. What does change is that without Cat, I have to think about some different permutations of the team, which I’ve already reflected on. For us, it’s about now looking towards that and making sure that everybody else knows what those adjustments might be. I will say I’m absolutely gutted for Cat … but also, this is an opportunity for someone else.”

Williams, a forward and the NWSL‘s all-time leading goal-scorer who also served as an alternate for the Tokyo Olympics played in 2021, does not slot in perfectly for Macario in the midfield in terms of position. Hayes, for her part, isn’t phased by the work that now lies ahead in adjusting to that reality.

“If you know the way I develop teams, I’ll always have a solution, firstly,” Hayes said. “Second, the challenge of making that work is one that I enjoy and I know I will. When it comes to Lynn, we had a really great chat last night … Listen, I’m a straight-up person and she’s a straight-up person so it works really well. We’ve been really honest from the get-go. She’s been a delight to be around. I told her this last night — she seems really calm. She’s been here before and I think because she’s been here before she’s calm and can handle whatever’s there.”

Hayes also spoke to the addition of the Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams, who has been training with the squad the last two days, as an alternate. She spoke highly of what she’s seen from Sams so far, referring to the defender as a “top performer in the league and someone who has been outstanding in the last two training sessions.”

The new coach is now looking to Saturday’s friendly against Mexico to see how all her tactical adjustments have taken hold and play out on the pitch in a game setting. Specifically, the former Chelsea boss said she’s looking to see if there’s additional depth to the team’s attacking play, improvements on defense and in transition as well as evaluating overall efficiency, growth and consistency. Team mentality, she said, is also on her radar.

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Implementing all of that in such a short span between her takeover and the start of the Paris Games and now adjusting to the loss of a crucial player to injury all while leading a team with such a storied legacy of success is no small feat, especially given the expectations on the team after disappointing finishes at both the most recent Olympics — bronze — and then in last year’s World Cup. That’s why Hayes said she’s been intentional about the investments she’s made in herself as a leader as much as those she’s made in her players.

“It starts with me,” Hayes said. With an executive coach in her corner who is also working with team captain Lindsey Horan, leadership development is a pivotal part of her plan for the USWNT.

“For me, leadership, you’re not just born with it, it has to be learned,” Hayes continued. “There’s skills you have to develop to bring the best out in people and that is a job in and of itself so I hope that Lindsey and I get the support we need to be our best. Then from there, developing outward of that, the people in and around the captain that represents the group and reflects their needs, that she will have a leadership group around her that is player-led.”

The squad will take on Mexico on Saturday in the first of two pre-Paris friendlies. Kickoff from Red Bull Arena is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.