Mallory Swanson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mallory Swanson

Swanson with the Chicago Red Stars in 2024
Personal information
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)
Playing position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Chicago Stars FC
Number	9
Youth career
2011–2016	Real Colorado
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2017–2019	Washington Spirit	40	(10)
2020	Sky Blue FC	0	(0)
2021–	Chicago Stars FC	60	(23)
National team‡
2013–2014	United States U17	12	(15)
2014–2016	United States U20	23	(17)
2016–	United States	103	(38)
Honours 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
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 21, 2024. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of October 30, 2024

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

Swanson played for the U.S. under-17 and under-20 teams. She joined the USWNT in 2016 when she was just 17. This made her the youngest player on the team since 2002. She also became the youngest American to score a goal in the Olympics in 2016. Swanson helped the U.S. team win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, scoring the winning goal in the final game.

Swanson decided to become a professional player in 2017 instead of playing college soccer at UCLA. She first played for the Washington Spirit. Later, she joined Sky Blue FC and then the Chicago Red Stars. She plays in Chicago, the same city where her husband, Chicago Cubs baseball player Dansby Swanson, plays.

Early Life and High School Soccer

Mallory Swanson was born in Littleton, Colorado. She grew up in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with her older sister, Brianna. Her parents were both athletes. Mallory started playing soccer at age four. She looked up to her sister and followed her into club soccer with Real Colorado.

She played for Real Colorado from age 11 to 18. Her team won state titles in 2010 and 2011. They also reached the Elite Clubs National League finals in 2013 and 2014. At the U-16 level, her team won state and regional titles. Swanson was named the MVP of the regional tournament.

Swanson went to Mountain Vista High School from 2012 to 2016. In three seasons, she scored 47 goals and had 23 assists. As a freshman, she helped her team win a state title. She was named offensive MVP for her high school team.

Even though she missed many high school games for national team duties, she was a top player. 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.

Swanson initially planned to play college soccer at UCLA. However, she decided to become a professional player in 2017. She played in a few practice games for UCLA before leaving to start her pro career.

Club Career

Swanson (then Pugh) with the Washington Spirit in 2019

Washington Spirit (2017–2019)

Mallory Swanson joined the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on May 13, 2017. She made her first professional appearance on May 20, 2017. Her first professional goal came on June 3, 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 match. She scored 6 goals in her first season. She was also a finalist for the NWSL Rookie of the Year award.

In 2018, Swanson got a knee injury in May. She missed 8 games but returned to play in August.

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.

Chicago Red Stars (2021–present)

In December 2020, Swanson was traded to the Chicago Red Stars. She made her debut for the Red Stars in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. In 2021, she was voted the second most valuable player in the NWSL.

Swanson missed most of the 2023 NWSL season due to a knee injury. She got this injury while playing for the U.S. national team in April 2023. She returned for the start of the 2024 NWSL season. On March 29, 2024, she scored her first goal since her injury. This goal helped her team get a 1–1 tie.

International Career

Youth National Teams

Mallory Swanson played for the United States' youth national teams. She attended training camps for the U-14 and U-15 teams.

U-17 WNT

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. She scored five goals and had three assists in that tournament. The U.S. team finished third and did not qualify for the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

In 2014, Swanson helped the U-17 team win a tournament title. She scored her fourth goal of the tournament against Japan.

U-20 WNT

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

In 2015, Swanson was a very experienced player for the U-20 team. She captained the team in the 2015 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. She scored a penalty kick in the first match against Mexico. The U.S. team won the tournament by beating Canada 1–0. Swanson won the Golden Boot for most goals and the Golden Ball for best player. She was also 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 against New Zealand and was named player of the match.

Swanson made history in 2016. She was the first U.S. women's player to play in both the U-20 World Cup and the Summer Olympics in the same year.

Senior National Team

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

2016

Swanson was called up to the senior national team in January 2016. 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 became 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.

She was then named to the team for the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament. 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 final against Canada.

Swanson played in the 2016 SheBelieves Cup. She helped the USWNT win the tournament. By her 18th birthday, Swanson had set many records for a player under 18. She was fifth all-time in games played, third in goals, fourth in starts, and first in assists.

2016 Summer Olympics

On July 12, 2016, Swanson was chosen for the U.S. team at 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.

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. She also had many caps and starts. In October, she got a hamstring injury during a game.

In 2018, Swanson started strong. She scored two goals in one game against Denmark. By her last game as a teenager, she had set more records. She was second all-time in starts and games played before age 20. She was also tied for third in goals and first in assists before age 20.

In 2019, Swanson scored the first goal of the year for the U.S. team against France. She scored two goals in one game against Australia. She also scored against Mexico before the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

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 on as a substitute. She assisted a goal and then scored her first World Cup goal. She was the third youngest USWNT player to score in a World Cup. The USWNT went on to win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

2020–2022

Swanson played in the 2020 SheBelieves Cup. She assisted a goal against Japan. Later in 2020, she was injured and could not play for the national team.

In 2021, Swanson returned to play for the U.S. team. She had a strong comeback, getting three assists in one game against Paraguay. This was the most assists for 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 goal scorer in the 2022 SheBelieves Cup. She scored against New Zealand and twice against Iceland. She also set a record with a four-match scoring streak. During the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship, she played her 75th national team game. She was the youngest player to reach this milestone since 2008. She had 14 goal involvements (7 goals and 7 assists), which was her best year.

2023–2024

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 games in a row, a personal best.

On April 9, 2023, Swanson tore a tendon in her left knee during a game against Ireland. This injury kept her from playing for a long time.

After recovering, Swanson returned to the USWNT for the 2024 SheBelieves Cup in April 2024. On June 1, she scored two goals against South Korea 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 against Zambia and another against Germany. In her 100th international game, she scored the winning goal against Brazil in the Olympic final. This earned her a gold medal.

Personal Life

Mallory Swanson is a Christian. In December 2017, she started dating Major League Baseball player 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.

Career Statistics

Club

International

The table below shows Mallory Swanson's international goals for the United States. The score column shows the score after each of her goals.

List of international goals scored by Mallory Swanson

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	January 23, 2016	San Diego, California	Republic of Ireland	5–0	5–0	Friendly
2	April 6, 2016	East Hartford, Connecticut	Colombia	3–0	7–0	Friendly
3	July 22, 2016	Kansas City, Kansas	Costa Rica	2–0	4–0	Friendly
4	August 9, 2016	Manaus, Brazil	Colombia	2–1	2–2	2016 Summer Olympics
5	August 3, 2017	Carson, California	Japan	2–0	3–0	2017 Tournament of Nations
6	September 19, 2017	Cincinnati, Ohio	New Zealand	2–0	5–0	Friendly
7	January 21, 2018	San Diego, California	Denmark	3–1	5–1	Friendly
8				4–1
9	March 4, 2018	Harrison, New Jersey	France	1–0	1–1	2018 SheBelieves Cup
10	April 5, 2018	Jacksonville, Florida	Mexico	1–0	4–1	Friendly
11	April 8, 2018	Houston, Texas	Mexico	1–0	6–2	Friendly
12	September 4, 2018	San Jose, California	Chile	1–0	4–0	Friendly
13	January 19, 2019	Le Havre, France	France	1–3	1–3	Friendly
14	April 4, 2019	Commerce City, Colorado	Australia	4–2	5–3	Friendly
15				5–3
16	May 26, 2019	Harrison, New Jersey	Mexico	2–0	3–0	Friendly
17	June 11, 2019	Reims, France	Thailand	11–0	13–0	2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
18	October 3, 2019	Charlotte, North Carolina	South Korea	2–0	2–0	Friendly
19	February 20, 2022	Carson, California	New Zealand	5–0	5–0	2022 SheBelieves Cup
20	February 23, 2022	Frisco, Texas	Iceland	3–0	5–0	Friendly
21				4–0
22	April 9, 2022	Columbus, Ohio	Uzbekistan	2–0	9–1	Friendly
23	April 12, 2022	Chester, Pennsylvania	Uzbekistan	3–0	9–0	Friendly
24	July 14, 2022	San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico	Costa Rica	2–0	3–0	2022 CONCACAF W Championship
25	November 13, 2022	Harrison, New Jersey	Germany	2–1	2–1	Friendly
26	January 18, 2023	Wellington, New Zealand	New Zealand	1–0	4–0	Friendly
27				3–0
28	January 21, 2023	Auckland, New Zealand	New Zealand	3–0	5–0	Friendly
29	February 16, 2023	Orlando, Florida	Canada	1–0	2–0	2023 SheBelieves Cup
30				2–0
31	February 19, 2023	Nashville, Tennessee	Japan	1–0	1–0	Friendly
32	February 22, 2023	Frisco, Texas	Brazil	2–0	2–1
33	June 1, 2024	Commerce City, Colorado	South Korea	1–0	4–0
34				4–0
35	July 25, 2024	Nice, France	Zambia	2–0	3–0	2024 Summer Olympics
36				3–0
37	July 28, 2024	Marseille, France	Germany	2–1	4–1
38	August 10, 2024	Paris, France	Brazil	1–0	1–0

Honors

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

• 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
• NSCAA Youth All–America Team: 2013
• Sports Illustrated Sports Kid of the Year Top 5 Finalist: 2012
• 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

See also

In Spanish: Mallory Swanson para niños