San Diego Wave will be without Catarina Macario for the rest of the season after the club placed the 26-year-old on SEI before Friday’s NWSL Matchweek 22 meeting with KC Current. Macario underwent a knee procedure, and the move removes one of the Wave’s highest-profile players from the final stretch.
That matters now because Kc Current Vs San Diego Wave is not just another league date. Both clubs are described as NWSL playoff teams, and both are looking to pick up three points and move up the table. In that setting, losing Macario changes the shape of the match before kickoff and leaves San Diego Wave with another gap to manage.
The availability report shows the Wave already carrying a long injury list. Adriana Leon is out with a hip injury, Kiki Pickett is out with an ankle injury, Trinity Armstrong and Dudinha are both out with knee injuries and SEI designations, Alana Cook is out with a knee injury and SEI designation, Clare Gagne is out with a head injury and SEI designation, Mary Long is out with D-45 status, Gabrielle Robinson is out with a knee injury, Ellie Bravo-Young is out on maternity leave, Luisa Agudelo is away on international duty for COL, and Katie Scott is away on international duty for U.S. U-20.
There is a cost on the other side too, though it is smaller in scale. Temwa Chawinga is listed as questionable with a thigh injury, so KC Current go into the match with their own uncertainty even as the spotlight falls on San Diego Wave’s losses. That leaves Friday’s game with one clear thread: the Wave are trying to absorb a season-ending blow to Macario, while KC Current still have enough of a question mark to keep the matchup from feeling settled before it starts.
For San Diego Wave, the immediate job is less about replacing Macario one-for-one than finding a way to keep the season from tilting further as the schedule tightens. The next answer will come on Friday, when the two playoff teams meet with points, position and availability all in play.
