Mallory Swanson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mallory Swanson

Swanson with the Chicago Stars in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Mallory Diane Swanson
Birth name	Mallory Diane Pugh
Date of birth	(1998-04-29) April 29, 1998 (age 27)
Place of birth	Littleton, Colorado, U.S.
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Chicago Stars
Number	9
Youth career
2011–2016	Real Colorado
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017	UCLA Bruins	0	(0)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017–2019	Washington Spirit	40	(10)
2020	Sky Blue FC	0	(0)
2021–	Chicago Stars	60	(23)
International career‡
2013–2014	United States U17	12	(15)
2014–2016	United States U20	23	(17)
2016–	United States	103	(38)
Medal record Women's soccer Representing the  United States CONCACAF Women's Championship Winner 2018 United States Winner 2022 Mexico Olympic Games Gold 2024 Paris Team FIFA Women's World Cup Gold 2019 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 21, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 30, 2024

Mallory Diane Swanson (born April 29, 1998), whose maiden name was Mallory Diane Pugh, is an American professional soccer player. She plays as a forward for the Chicago Stars FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She also plays for the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT).

Mallory Swanson played for the United States' under-17 and under-20 national teams. She joined the USWNT in 2016 when she was just 17. This made her the youngest player on the team since 2002. Later that year, she played in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There, she became the youngest American to score a goal in the Olympics. She helped the team win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, scoring the only goal in the final game.

Swanson decided to become a professional player in 2017 instead of playing college soccer at UCLA. She signed with the Washington Spirit. After three seasons, she played for Sky Blue FC. She then moved to the Chicago Red Stars, now called Chicago Stars FC. Her husband, Chicago Cubs baseball player Dansby Swanson, also plays in Chicago.

Early Life and Youth Soccer

Mallory Swanson was born in Littleton, Colorado. She grew up in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with her older sister, Brianna. Her mom was a long-distance runner, and her dad ran track and played football. Mallory looked up to her sister, Brianna, and started playing soccer at age four because of her.

She played club soccer with Real Colorado. She was on their competitive teams from age 11 to 18. She even trained with the club's Boys Development Academy team sometimes. Mallory helped Real Colorado win state titles in 2010 and 2011. Her team also reached the Elite Clubs National League finals in 2013 and 2014. When she was 16, Real Colorado won state and regional titles. They were also runners-up at the national level. Mallory was named the MVP of the regional tournament that year.

Swanson went to Mountain Vista High School from 2012 to 2016. In three seasons, she scored 47 goals and made 23 assists. As a freshman, she helped her team win a state title. She was named offensive MVP at Mountain Vista. She also became a NSCAA Youth All-American in 2013. Even though she missed many high school games for national team duties, she helped her team reach the state semifinals. As a junior, she scored 24 goals and 12 assists in 18 games. She was named the 2014–15 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She also won the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame 2015 High School Female Athlete of the Year award.

In 2016, Mallory decided to become a professional soccer player. She had planned to go to UCLA for college. However, she delayed her start until January 2017 because of her national team duties. She played in a few practice games for UCLA in early 2017. But she left before her first season officially started to play soccer professionally.

Club Career Highlights

Swanson (then Pugh) with the Washington Spirit in 2019

Mallory Swanson joined the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on May 13, 2017. She played her first professional game on May 20, 2017. On June 3, 2017, she scored her first professional goal. She also made her first assist on August 26, 2017. On September 30, 2017, she scored two goals in one game. This made her the first teenager in NWSL history to score multiple goals in a single regular-season match. She scored 6 goals in her first season. She was also a finalist for the NWSL Rookie of the Year award.

She stayed with the Spirit for the 2018 season. She had a knee injury in May, which made her miss 8 games. She returned to play in August.

Playing for Sky Blue FC (2020)

In January 2020, Swanson was traded to Sky Blue FC. She played her first game for Sky Blue on September 5, 2020. She came into the game in the 61st minute. Sky Blue won the game, and Swanson helped set up the winning goal.

Joining Chicago Stars (2021–Present)

In December 2020, Swanson was traded to the Chicago Red Stars, now called Chicago Stars FC. She played her first game for Chicago in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. In 2021, she was voted second for the most valuable player in the NWSL.

In February 2023, her husband, Dansby Swanson, mentioned that the NWSL would have traded Mallory to another team if he hadn't signed with the Chicago Cubs. Mallory missed most of the 2023 NWSL season due to a knee injury. She got this injury while playing for the USWNT in April 2023. She returned for the start of the 2024 NWSL season. She scored her first goal since her injury on March 29, 2024. This goal helped her team get a 1–1 tie.

International Career

Mallory Swanson has played for different levels of the United States national soccer teams.

Youth National Teams

In 2011, Swanson attended a training camp for the United States under-14 girls' national team. She was then called to more U-14 and U-15 training camps in 2012.

U-17 National Team

In 2013, Swanson joined the U-17 national team. She played in an international tournament in Costa Rica. She was a key player in the 2013 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship in Jamaica. She scored five goals and made three assists. The team finished third, so they did not qualify for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

In 2014, Swanson helped the U-17 team win a tournament in Carson, California. She scored her fourth goal of the tournament in the final match against Japan.

U-20 National Team

After playing for the U-17 team, Swanson moved up to the U-20 national team. At 16, she was the youngest player on the team for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She played in all the team's matches.

In 2015, Swanson was a very experienced player on the U-20 team. She was even the team captain. She helped the team win the 2015 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. She won the Golden Boot for scoring the most goals. She also won the Golden Ball for being the best player in the tournament. In December 2015, she was named the 2015 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.

In 2016, even though she was playing for the senior national team, Swanson was still young enough for the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She captained the U-20 team and was their most experienced player. She scored a goal and was named player of the match against New Zealand. By playing in both the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, Swanson became the first U.S. women's player to do both in the same year.

Senior National Team

Starting Strong in 2016

Swanson with the United States against New Zealand on September 19, 2017.

In January 2016, Swanson was called up to the senior national team. At 17, she was one of the youngest players to join the team in 15 years. On January 23, 2016, she played her first game for the USWNT against Ireland. She was the youngest player to debut for the national team since 2002. She also scored her first international goal in that game, helping the U.S. win 5–0.

Swanson was then named to the team for the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship. She was the youngest player ever on an Olympic qualifying roster for the USWNT. She helped the team qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She also helped the USWNT win the tournament by beating Canada 2–0 in the final.

She also played in the 2016 SheBelieves Cup. She helped the USWNT win the tournament. By her 18th birthday, Swanson had set several records. She was fifth all-time for most USWNT games played before age 18. She was also first for most assists before age 18.

2016 Summer Olympics

On July 12, 2016, Swanson was chosen for the team going to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She played her first Olympic game on August 3. On August 9, she scored a goal against Colombia. This made her the youngest U.S. player to score a goal in the Olympics. The U.S. team was later defeated by Sweden in the quarterfinals.

Years 2017-2019

Swanson with the USWNT in 2017

In 2017, Swanson played in 12 games for the USWNT. By her 19th birthday, she was tied with Mia Hamm for third in USWNT history for goals before age 19. In October, she had a hamstring injury during a game.

In 2018, Swanson started strong by scoring two goals against Denmark. By her last game as a teenager, she had scored her fifth goal of the year. She was second all-time in games started and games played before age 20. She was also first all-time in assists before age 20. She had another knee injury in June but returned to play in August.

In 2019, Swanson scored the first goal of the year for the U.S. team against France. She also scored two goals against Australia. One of these goals came just 37 seconds after she entered the game.

2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

Swanson was part of the 23-player team for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. At 21, she was the second youngest player on the team. In the first game against Thailand, she came in as a substitute. She assisted a goal and then scored her first FIFA Women's World Cup goal. She was the third youngest USWNT player to score in the World Cup. She played in all three group stage games. The USWNT went on to win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Recent Years (2020-2024)

Swanson played in the 2020 SheBelieves Cup. She assisted a goal in the final game against Japan. She missed some time due to injury in 2020.

In 2021, after recovering from injuries, Swanson returned to play for the U.S. team. She had a strong comeback, making three assists in one game against Paraguay. This was the most assists by any U.S. player in a single game since 2019.

In 2022, Swanson played in 15 of the team's 18 games. She was the top scorer in the 2022 SheBelieves Cup. She scored against New Zealand and twice against Iceland. Her goal against Uzbekistan in April marked a four-match scoring streak, a new record for her. During the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, she played in her 75th national team game. She had 14 goal involvements (7 goals and 7 assists), which was her best year for goals and assists.

Swanson continued her strong play in early 2023. She scored three goals in friendly games against New Zealand. She also scored three goals in the 2023 SheBelieves Cup. This meant she scored in five straight USWNT games, a personal best. However, on April 9, 2023, she tore a tendon in her left knee during a friendly game against Ireland.

After recovering from her injury, Swanson returned to the USWNT for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup in April 2024. On June 1, she scored two goals against South Korea in a friendly match in her home state of Colorado.

On June 26, 2024, Swanson was chosen for the 18-player team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. This was her second Olympic tournament. In the group stage, she scored two goals in a 3–0 win against Zambia. She also scored another goal against Germany. In her 100th international game, she scored the winning goal in the 57th minute against Brazil in the Olympic final. This earned her a gold medal.

Personal Life

Mallory Swanson is a Christian. In late 2017, she started dating Major League Baseball shortstop Dansby Swanson. They met through her brother-in-law. The couple got married on December 10, 2022. She started using her married name, Swanson, in 2023. On May 7, 2025, the couple announced on Instagram that they are expecting their first child.

Honors and Awards

United States

• FIFA Women's World Cup: 2019
• Summer Olympic Games Gold Medal: 2024
• CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2018; 2022
• SheBelieves Cup: 2016; 2018; 2020; 2022; 2023; 2024

Individual Awards

• U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year: 2015
• Gatorade National Female Soccer Player of the Year: 2016
• National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Youth Girls National Player of the Year: 2014
• NWSL Best XI: 2022
• SheBelieves Cup Top scorer: 2023
• ESPN FC Women's Rank: #15 on the 2024 list of 50 best women's soccer players 2024

Images for kids

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  Swanson with the Chicago Stars in 2024

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  Swanson (then Pugh) with the Washington Spirit in 2019

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  Swanson with the United States against New Zealand on September 19, 2017.

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  Swanson with the USWNT in 2017

See also

In Spanish: Mallory Swanson para niños