Macario, Swanson return to USWNT roster for SheBelieves Cup - ESPN

Forwards Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario returned to the United States women's national team for the first time in a year and two years, respectively, following major knee injuries.

Both players are eligible for selection at the SheBelieves Cup, where the USWNT will play Japan on April 6 in Atlanta and either Canada or Brazil on April 9 in Columbus, Ohio.

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Joining Swanson and Macario are two first-time call-ups: 16-year-old Lily Yohannes, a midfielder at Ajax, and 21-year-old Eva Gaetino, a defender at Paris Saint-Germain. Both players started in their respective teams' most recent UEFA Champions League quarterfinal matches.

The 19 other players called up to the U.S. roster by interim coach Twila Kilgore, in collaboration with incoming head coach Emma Hayes, all participated in the team's recent Concacaf W Gold Cup, which the U.S. won by narrowly defeating Brazil in the final on March 10.

Macario was the focal point of former coach Vlatko Andonovski's initial roster rebuild in early 2022, but she tore her ACL later that spring on the final day of the French season while playing with Lyon.

Macario signed with Chelsea — still coached by Hayes — last summer but endured multiple setbacks. She returned to the field earlier this month and scored in her first game for Chelsea.

Swanson last played for the U.S. in April 2023, when she tore her left patella tendon. She scored seven goals in the USWNT's first five games of 2023 and was expected to star at the World Cup. However, an infection following her initial surgery last year dashed any hope of returning in time for the tournament.

«I honestly didn't even think about playing after that,» Swanson recently told «The