Right now, the United States has been gifted with a three-head monster on attack — and Mallory Swanson has cemented her place within it.
Swanson, who joins teammate Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith — and technically a four-headed monster if you factor in longtime striker Crystal Dunn — is leading the charge on the national team as they now look in pole position to capture a medal following a 2-1 defeat of Australia in their final group stage game on Wednesday.
Swanson, who was Mallory Pugh before she married Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson in 2022, has a longstanding relationship with the U.S. national team circuit from the youth ranks on up.
As she continues to make her mark on the Americans quest for gold, here are five things to know about her.
She’s already a USWNT Olympic record holder
Swanson was apart of the U.S. women’s team that made it to the quarterfinals at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. As a fresh-faced 17-year-old, she scored a goal in those Games making her the youngest player ever to score for a U.S. Olympic soccer team — man or woman. In that same year, Swanson made her debut eclipsing former USWNTer Heather O’Reilly as the youngest player ever to appear for the women’s national team.
She used to play with the boys
We’re not sure what’s cooler here, the fact that Swanson played on the same youth club as Smith, her USWNT Big 3 teammate, or that while she played for Real Colorado, a developmental youth program, she regularly trained with the boys teams. Since we can’t decide we’ll just go with the fact that she guided the girls teams to a pair of state and regional titles in her time there.
She was ready to stand by her man
According to a 2023 interview with USA Today, Swanson’s husband, Dansby, said that while he was embroiled in free agency, with his situation unknown with the Chicago Cubs, a deal was made with the NWSL that Swanson would be able to land with a league team near whatever city her husband landed in. We didn’t even know that was a thing. We’ll never know in the case of Swanson after Dansby landed a seven-year, $177 million contract to play in Chicago, keeping Mallory in Chicago with the NWSL’s Red Stars.
She was a college athlete, sort of…
Bogged down with youth and senior national team responsibilities, she was forced to delay her acceptance to play for UCLA — after it was rumored she had plans to skip the college ranks and go pro. In all, she played in just a handful of games in spring ball, before ultimately proving the rumors true. Making the jump in the NWSL ranks in 2017.
She’s closing in on 100 appearances with the USWNT
Swanson going on nine years with the U.S. national team has 97 appearances in all competitions. Should the U.S. qualify for the gold medal game — and win — she could earn gold and her 100th cap in the same day.
