Swanson, Macario return to the US team

Mallory Swanson and Catarina Macario are returning to the U.S. national team for the upcoming SheBelieves Cup after lengthy absences because of injuries.

The 23-player roster announced Tuesday for the event next month also includes 16-year old Lily Yohannes, a midfielder who plays for Dutch club Ajax.

The SheBelieves Cup, which includes the United States, Japan, Canada and Brazil, opens on April 6 in Atlanta. All four teams are ranked in the top 10 in the world and have qualified for this summer’s Olympics in France.

Swanson was the team’s leading scorer early last year when she tore the patellar tendon in her left knee during a friendly against Ireland in April. The injury kept her off the Women’s World Cup roster.

Swanson trained with the team during the recent CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, but did not play during the tournament.

“She was performing at a very high, very strong level, (but) didn’t quite have the fitness underneath her to do more,” interim U.S. coach Twila Kilgore said. “She was then able to go back into her club environment, where she’s excelled and been able to pick up more minutes. She’s in a very good spot.”

Macario tore her left ACL while playing for Lyon and has not played for the United States since 2022. She currently plays for Chelsea under coach Emma Hayes, who will take over as the new U.S. coach when the Women’s Super League season ends.

Macario scored in her first two games off the bench for Chelsea earlier this month.

“What’s been most impressive about her as she’s come back is just the quality of her impact on a game, regardless of the amount of minutes that she’s been playing. So we’re really excited to get her reintegrated into our team,” Kilgore said.

Yohannes is the youngest player called up to the national team since Sophia Smith, then 16, was brought into camp ahead of two friendlies against Russia in 2017.

“While we look to deepen the player pool with those that can play kind of in a variety of different roles within the midfield positions, she’s somebody that comes to mind and we have that space and availability in camp to bring her in. This was the right time to do so,” Kilgore said.

Also getting her first call-up to the national team was Paris Saint-Germain defender Eva Gaetino.