“Playing in Europe was always a dream of mine.”
This statement could be attributed to several players over the years but moving to Europe as a young American is no easy task. For Eva Gaetino though, this was the dream move.
Gaetino’s professional career began in the French capital with Paris Saint-Germain, following in the footsteps of former United States women’s national team players such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe. And now, she is learning from some of the best players in her position. Already in her first season, she’s become the youngest American to score in the UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout rounds. These performances even led her to her first USWNT call-up.
The recent trend of Americans in Europe, specifically France, has accelerated with Catarina Macario joining Lyon in 2021 instead of entering the NWSL draft, and Lindsey Horan joining her from Portland Thorns. Both players yielded success by winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League title with Lyon in 2022; they are among the few Americans to achieve this feat.
The trend continued with Korbin Albert moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2022 and Gaetino in the summer of 2023, further strengthening the U.S. presence in European football.
Given that Gaetino is still a relatively new name, her appearance in a major European side now playing in the UWCL semi-final attracts intrigue and interest. More and more Americans are now being exposed to top-level European competition, which only benefits the national team.
But who is Eva Gaetino? Many will recognize her from her recent call-up to the USWNT but we need to know who she is as a player.
The Equalizer had the chance to speak to the young center-back star ahead of PSG’s UWCL game against Olympique Lyon, where we discussed her development, current role for Paris Saint-Germain, and what she’s looking forward to in the upcoming semi-final.
