Hayes lauds 'world-class' Macario after double against Italy
The United States made it three wins on the bounce with a 3-0 victory over Italy, and Catarina Macario was the star of the show on Friday.
Emma Hayes hailed "world-class" level Catarina Macario after her brace helped the United States earn a 3-0 win over Italy, in their first of two friendlies against the Azzurre.
Olivia Moultrie opened the scoring after just two minutes in Orlando, marking the fourth match in a row that the USA have scored in the opening 10 minutes.
Macario then netted a second-half brace, hitting a low shot across goal into the right side of the net for her first before picking out the opposite side for her second.
The 26-year-old has been directly involved in 17 goals in her last 14 USA appearances (11 goals, six assists) dating back to February 2022.
And the Chelsea forward brought her tally up to seven international goals for the year, her best return for the national team in her career.
Hayes signed Macario for Chelsea in June 2023, while the striker was sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and she is thrilled to be able to work with her again.
"She's a tremendous player," Hayes said of Macario. "She knows what I think of her.
"I signed her because I thought she was world-class, and even more so now that I get to work with her while she's fit and healthy... We have a fantastic relationship."
The USA have now won eight of their last nine matches, with this their second shutout in a row, having beaten New Zealand 6-0 in the last international break.
Against Italy, they had 18 shots worth 2.2 expected goals (xG), with 11 of those on target in a dominant display. At the other end, they limited their visitors to just seven attempts, with only two of those testing Claudia Dickey.
Hayes is already looking ahead to the World Cup qualifiers, which will begin at the end of 2026, and she stressed the importance of continuing their winning habit in preparation.
"All of our energy is on qualifying for the World Cup," she said. "That's everything we're focused on.
"We close out the year with one more game, then we have January camp, the SheBelieves Cup, and two other opportunities before we get into October.
"There's not a lot of time, so every single minute matters. Our focus is qualification."
