Who is Mallory Swanson? Star USWNT striker has three goals so far in 2024 Paris Olympics

The United States women’s national soccer team came into the 2024 Paris Olympics ready to answer questions and silence doubts.

Following a dismal showing at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in which the reigning champions were bounced in the Round of 16 — marking the first time ever the Americans had failed to make at least the semifinals — the USWNT entered the Olympics with a new manager in Emma Hayes and a revamped roster featuring a generation of players ready to assert themselves as some of the best in the world.

Just two games into the Olympics this year, perhaps no player has been more instrumental than Mallory Swanson in positioning the USWNT for its first Olympic gold medal since 2012.

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The American striker has been an offensive machine for the USWNT in its first two Olympic games, scoring two goals in a 3-0 victory last Thursday against Zambia and netting a go-ahead goal Sunday against Germany . Of her team’s seven goals — as of the completion of Sunday’s match against Germany — Swanson was responsible for three of them.

It’s a hard-earned, well-deserved moment of glory and recognition for Swanson, who only recently came back from a major injury that had sidelined her for much of the previous year and prevented her from participating in the World Cup.

Here’s more about Swanson and her career as she and the USWNT continue their march in the 2024 Paris Olympics:

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Mallory Swanson career

Swanson’s ascent to American soccer stardom began long before she and her team arrived in Paris earlier this month.

The suburban Denver native debuted for the USWNT in 2016 at just 17 years old, making her the program’s youngest player in 11 years. After a semester at UCLA, she opted to forego the rest of what would have undoubtedly been a decorated college career to turn pro, signing with the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). As an 18-year-old rookie, she scored six goals for the Spirit.

Following her unusually early start, Swanson has excelled for the USWNT. Her 37 goals are the most of any American player on the Olympic roster, while her 29 career assists rank behind only Lindsey Horan, who has 56 more international caps.

Swanson’s accomplished and burgeoning career was confronted with a sizable obstacle last year. In April 2023, three months before the start of the Women’s World Cup, Swanson tore her left patella tendon in a friendly against Ireland, an injury that ultimately kept her out for a full year from national team play. Prior to the setback, she was playing particularly inspired soccer, having scored eight goals over her previous six USWNT games, including a career-best six-game streak with at least one goal.

Without Swanson’s explosiveness, creativity and finishing in the final third of the field, the USWNT was offensively underwhelming in the World Cup, scoring just four goals in four games.

On March 16, Swanson returned to play for the Chicago Red Stars, her NWSL team, and did the same for the USWNT on April 6 in the SheBelieves Cup.

“After 343 days, (three) surgeries, and an infection that changed my whole perspective on life I realized many things,” Swanson wrote on Instagram after returning for the Red Stars in March. “Life is a beautiful blessing. Health is a blessing. This game that I love is a blessing. And at the end of it all, I am more thankful to be able to do what I love again.”

Swanson has shown few, if any, signs of her injury and the subsequent surgery since coming back. Even before the start of the Olympics, she scored two goals in a 4-0 friendly victory against South Korea on June 1, Hayes’ first game as the USWNT manager.

Mallory Swanson age

Swanson is 26 years old.

Mallory Swanson husband

Swanson began her international and professional soccer careers as Mallory Pugh, but began using her married name in 2023 after marrying MLB all-star Dansby Swanson.

The two met through Swanson’s brother-in-law, Jace Peterson, who was teammates with Swanson with the Atlanta Braves.

Dansby Swanson signed a seven-year contract with the Chicago Cubs in December 2022, meaning he and his wife now play in the same city.

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USWNT Olympic schedule

Here’s a look at the USWNT’s schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympics as group play continues:

• Thursday, July 25 : USA 3, Zambia 0
• Sunday, July 28 : USA 4, Germany 1
• Wednesday, July 31 : vs. Australia, 1 p.m. ET

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Mallory Swanson? Star USWNT striker has three goals so far in 2024 Paris Olympics