Jaedyn Shaw hasn’t had much time to process January’s trade from the San Diego Wave to the North Carolina Courage.
In fact, Wednesday’s SheBelieves Cup final occupied the United States Women’s National Team standout’s mind for most of the last month. Not because of who the United States was playing, but where: Snapdragon Stadium.
Turns out, the midfielder had no reason to worry. She was received warmly by the 17,188 fans who watched Japan beat the United States 2-1.
“I was a little nervous about (playing in San Diego),” Shaw said. “But I’m really happy that the fans were happy I was back, and I want it to always be like that. I’ll always love this city.
“It’s a two-way street,” she added. “I learned a lot here and I’m really grateful for my time in San Diego and glad I was able to leave an imprint on the city.”
No matter where Shaw plays pro soccer, the former Wave standout should be a prominent fixture on USWNT for years to come. She has scored eight goals for the national team since 2023.
Plus, there’s plenty of stellar soccer ahead of her. Shaw turned 20 on Nov. 20, just 17 days after scoring her 13th goal with the Wave to extend her National Women’s Soccer League record for goals scored by a teenager.
ing Shaw on the Snapdragon Stadium pitch, Catarina Macario enjoyed her own return — not just to San Diego, but as an integral part of the USWNT.
Macario, who sustained a torn ACL in 2022 while playing for French professional club Olympique Lyon, was set to re the American team for last summer’s Olympic Games.
However, lingering pain kept her out of the competition.
She showed no signs of rust in Wednesday’s match. Macario scored a goal and logged an assist in the three-game SheBelieves Cup, the latter setting up Ally Sentnor for a goal in the Wednesday’s final.
Although Macario said she would have preferred to get the win, she was happy to play again in San Diego. Macario developed her game for the San Diego Surf club program after moving to the area from Sao Luis, Brazil.
Macario played at Torrey Pines High School where, as a freshman in 2013-14, she scored 34 goals in 23 games. Her exploits on the San Diego high school scene added to an impressive local legacy that included a record 165 goals with the Surf.
Macario described the atmosphere at the SheBelieves Cup final as providing the kind of intensity USWNT can expect in future international matches, including the 2027 World Cup.
As for Wednesday’s result?
“I think it just helps us learn more about ourselves,” she said. “It’s disappointing, but it’s a learning opportunity above all.”
