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United States women's national team star Catarina Macario got her first Chelsea start on Wednesday but England's Lauren James was not in the squad.
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ToggleMacario has impressed plenty in her appearances from the bench for the Blues since returning from injury in March, having endured 21 months on the sidelines due to an ACL rupture. That form and the steps forward she has taken in terms of her match fitness finally earned her a place in Chelsea's starting line-up on Wednesday, for the visit of Aston Villa in the Women's Super League.
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Maika Hamano, the talented young Japanese forward, hit a milestone by lining up alongside Macario too, in a first start in the league for the 19-year-old since her arrival at the club last year, but there was one big name missing from the team sheet with Lionesses star James not even among the substitutes. Meanwhile, Aston Villa's big-name star Alisha Lehmann was dropped to the bench.
James is one of the frontrunners for the WSL Golden Boot this season, having scored 13 times in 15 games, but she only has four games left to catch Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw, who leads the way with 19 strikes.
Chelsea fans will hope James' absence is merely a rest because the Blues have a huge Women's Champions League semi-final clash with European champions Barcelona on Saturday.
