MAKING THE CASE: Catarina Macario for 2021 Chipotle Young Female Player of the Year

After a highly eventful 2021 in which she earned her eligibility to play for the United States, made her international and professional debuts, and enjoyed an excellent year for her club and with the U.S. Women’s National Team, midfielder Catarina Macario has been nominated for the 2021 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year award.

 

Because no Youth National Team matches were played in 2021 to the global pandemic, players were eligible for the 2021 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year if they were 23-years-of-age or younger and a) played in a senior WNT match this calendar year or b) played in the 2020 Concacaf U-20 Women’s Championship. Players can win the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year Award only once.

 

• READ MORE: 2021 Chipotle Young Female Player of the Year Nominees

 

While nominees are selected by U.S. Soccer’s technical staff, fans will now have the opportunity to vote on select Player of the Year Awards, with the fan vote comprising 15% of the total vote. Voting for the awards started Monday, Dec. 6 at 11:00 a.m. ET and closes on Dec. 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced throughout the month of December.

 

• VOTE NOW: Fan Voting for Player of the Year Awards

Making the case for Catarina Macario as the 2021 Chipotle Young Female Player of the Year:

 

• Macario was granted her eligibility to play for the U.S. in January and enjoyed an excellent first year with the National Team, playing in 12 matches while contributing three goals and an assist.

• The 22-year-old made her international debut on Jan. 18 vs. Colombia and scored in her first start just four days later.

 

• She made the Tokyo Olympic Team as an alternate, but when the IOC expanded the rosters, she became a full-fledged Olympian and played in one match, coming on as a sub against New Zealand.

• Macario started six of her 12 appearances for the USWNT on the year and tallied her first international assist on Carli Lloyd’s fifth goal against Paraguay on Sep. 16. She scored a brace in the USA’s Sep. 21 win over Paraguay, capped off by a blistering half-volley in the 82^nd minute.

 

 

  

• Macario signed with French powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais in January of 2021 and has scored 10 goals this calendar year, including a team-leading seven league tallies thus far in the 2021-22 season.

• She has started 13 of the 15 games she has played for OL – eight in league and seven in Champions League – and has six goals and four assists in her last 10 appearances for the club across all competitions, including three goals and a game-winning assist in the Champions League.

 

This is Macario’s first nomination for the Young Female Player of the Year award.