Mallory Swanson Comeback for the USWNT Ends in Gold

Mallory Swanson was a young teenager when she first donned the USWNT’s jersey for her debut. But her career hasn’t always been on an upward trajectory that would see her make the U.S. team year after year for every major tournament. She has had numerous setbacks, in terms of her club career, injuries, omission from the national team, and personal issues that have left her off of the squad for prolonged periods.

But her resilience and her desire to continually get better have led her to play the best soccer of her entire career in the last two years. Her drive and determination led her to become a starting forward for the USWNT heading into the Olympics — a tournament that would see her score the winning goal in the final match to bring home the gold medal for her country.

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Mallory Swanson Career

Mallory Swanson is still only 26 years old, a fact that soccer fans often forget because she has been around professional soccer for so many years now. She made her debut for the USWNT a decade ago, showing her prowess at a young age and her incredible skills as a teenager to catapult her into the spotlight.

She played twelve games for the USA U17 national team, scoring 15 goals in the process. Her stand-out capabilities meant she joined the USA U20 team while she was still underage, making 23 appearances and scoring 17 goals for the side. The fact that she was still only 16 years old, and standing out at a level far above her age, made her a direct target for the full United States senior team.

In 2016, Mallory Swanson, then ‘Pugh’, made her debut for the full squad during a training camp 2016 as the team prepared for a match against the Republic of Ireland. At only 17 years old, she was one of the youngest squad members to be called to the senior team in almost two decades. In January of 2016, Mallory Swanson earned her first cap for the senior squad during the Ireland game, coming in and playing 32 minutes for the senior team.

She was the youngest debutant since Heather O’Reilly almost 15 years prior. She then scored in the 83rd minute off of a great header from a pinpoint accurate cross, making her the 19th USWNT player to score on her debut.

Ever since then, it seemed like she would rise to stardom and continue on this pathway to becoming one of the best of all time. However, Mallory Swanson had a rocky few years during the middle of her career that would see her out with injuries and a lack of playing time at the club level. She barely made any appearances for the USWNT during the 2020 year, due to Covid and injuries, and carried over that bad luck to the following year.

Mallory Swanson Redemption Arc

In 2022, Mallory Swanson came back with a vengeance. She started 15 of the USWNT’s 18 games of the calendar year and was named to the 2022 SheBelieves Cup roster. She earned her 75th cap for the senior team, making her the youngest player to ever reach this milestone for the team.

However, she tore her left patella tendon in April of 2023, a time when she was on fire and the world was taking notice of how dominant she was in matches. This meant she was out for the upcoming Women’s World Cup — a showing that the USWNT would hope to forget in the following months. Despite her injury keeping her out for an extended period, she returned to the USWNT one year later. She then made the 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics in France just this summer, but there were still questions regarding her fitness and abilities.

She soon silenced her critics, as she scored a brace in their group stage win over Zambia, scored another goal against a tough German side, and scored the winning goal in her 100th match in the Olympic final against Brazil. Mallory Pugh has established herself as one of the all-time greats in the game, but it wasn’t without challenges. She is the true personification of a hard-working athlete who knows that dedication, motivation, and resilience can lead to a fantastic career.

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This article was written by Emma Starr.