FIFA deems Brazilian-born Catarina Macario as eligible to represent the USWNT

CHICAGO – U.S. Soccer has received confirmation from FIFA – the world governing body of soccer – that Catarina Macario has been approved to represent the U.S. Women’s National Team in international competition.

Born in São Luís, Brazil on the northern coast, Macario moved with her family to the capital of Brasilia as a young child. She then moved to the United States at age 12 with her father and brother in search of more opportunity, as her mother, who is a doctor, stayed behind in Brazil to support the family.

[+READ: Stanford’s Catarina Macario signs with French club Lyon on eve of NWSL Draft]

She played for the San Diego Surf at the youth level, developed into one of the top players in the girls’ soccer hotbed that is Southern California, and then was recruited to Stanford University, where she became one of the best collegiate players in recent memory, twice winning the MAC Hermann Trophy as the top college player in the country while helping lead the Cardinal to two NCAA titles. She will soon graduate from Stanford with a degree in communication and a minor in psychology.

She will now be available for selection for the USA’s two upcoming matches against Colombia on Jan. 18 (7 p.m. ET on FS1) and Jan. 22 (7 p.m. ET on ESPN2) at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla.