Sources: Cat Macario reaches record NWSL deal with San Diego

"Catarina Macario has signed with the Wave through the 2030 NWSL season for a total contract worth roughly $8 million in total. Multiple sources confirmed that Macario will join the Wave immediately on a transfer from Chelsea for roughly $300,000, where her contract was set to expire this summer."

"The Wave will use the NWSL's new High Impact Player rule to pay Macario. The rule, which was ratified by the NWSL's board of governors in December and has been challenged by the NWSL Players Association, allows teams to pay star players from a fund of up to $1 million outside of the salary cap if the players meet certain criteria."

"Macario has not featured for Chelsea recently due in part to injuries, and with her contract expiring and the NWSL season underway, a move now made sense, sources said. Macario's deal is worth around $2 million in average annual value."

Catarina Macario, a United States forward, joined San Diego Wave FC on a transfer from Chelsea for roughly $300,000. Her contract runs through the 2030 NWSL season with a total value of approximately $8 million, averaging around $2 million annually. The Wave utilized the NWSL's High Impact Player rule to structure the deal, allowing teams to pay star players from a separate fund of up to $1 million outside the salary cap. Macario had not featured recently for Chelsea due to injuries, and with her contract expiring, the immediate transfer made strategic sense. The deal represents the largest total contract value in women's soccer history, surpassing Trinity Rodman's $2 million annual contract with Washington Spirit.

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