“When I made the Olympic team in 2016, I just tried to be a sponge,” remarked then-optimistic Mallory Swanson. Considering she was 18 at that time, better recall her as Mal Pugh, who was keen to soak up all knowledge there was under the leadership of Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan. But not every time things go the way you want them to and who knows this better than Swanson?

Sadly, the then-teenage forward did as much as scoring a crucial goal in the final group stage match against Colombia at Rio, before the USWNT was knocked by Sweden in the opening knockout round. But even though she made the 2019 World Cup roster to win her first Golden trophy, some ‘nagging injuries’ that she couldn’t shake in 2020 and 2021 saw her international career take a decline. That explains why she was left out by Vlatko Andonovski for the 2021 Olympics.

“When I wasn’t healthy, I couldn’t be me — the girl who just loved to have the ball at her feet,” said Swanson to The Players’ Tribune. Even though expectations had remained with Mal to take off with the national team, she felt a significant ‘pressure‘ of making it into the 2021 Summer Games, with a thought that her ‘self-worth was tied up with being on that roster.’ So when Vlatko called Swanson about her snub from the team, she rather felt ‘relieved in a way’ as she wasn’t in her ‘best version.’

So watching her national teammates from home while working on herself both on and off the pitch was the only way round for the Chicago Red Stars forward to make a bounce back. “I learned to let go of the expectations I had for myself, a bit. The passion, the drive to be great — it’s still there. I just know now that I’m the person God wants me to be, that he has a plan for me. My faith allowed me to just let things be,” she said.

As her patience to get back on the field proved fruitful, she was able to find the joy once again. The credits? Well…

“Playing for Chicago brought the joy back into my game,” acknowledged the impact of her domestic players and coaching staff on her national camp journey. “We have a really great group there and being with them each day really helped me just fall in love with soccer again.”

That only made her thinking more positive as the 2023 World Cup cycle approached. ‘Freedom‘ is how Mallory described her feeling, insisting there was no pressure to make the roster for her potential second gig in Australia and New Zealand. But sadly, Swanson didn’t get what she ‘deserved.’  

Another dream shattered for Mallory Swanson, but talk about a bounce-back!

2023 started off like a dream for the American forward as she found herself in the best form of her career. But in April, tragedy struck when a patella tendon tear sidelined the USWNT star for 11 months, dashing her hopes of competing in the 2023 World Cup. While the tournament itself ended in heartbreak for the four-time world champions, missing it due to injury was undoubtedly the last thing the 26-year-old would have wanted.

Then again, after 343 grueling days of recovery, three surgeries, and a persistent knee infection, Swanson made a triumphant return. Fast forward 465 days, and she was back on the scoresheet, netting a brace for the USWNT in a June 2024 friendly against South Korea—a time that marked the dawn of a new era under Emma Hayes.

Just a month later, Swanson finally had her redemption, making it for the Paris Olympics to not only score four goals in the tournament but also help win her first gold medal.