{"id":930512,"date":"2026-10-12T17:52:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T17:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/930512\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T17:52:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T17:52:17","slug":"mallory-swansons-return-was-a-bright-spot-for-the-uswnt-in-its-loss-to-spain-winnipeg-free-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/930512\/","title":{"rendered":"Mallory Swanson\u2019s return was a bright spot for the USWNT in its loss to Spain \u2013 Winnipeg Free Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Back on the field for the U.S. national team after a two-year absence, Mallory Swanson glided down the right wing with the ball before playing a brilliant, curling pass behind the defense to Ashley Sanchez near the far post.<\/p>\n

The play did not result in a goal \u2014 missed chances were piling up by this point for the Americans \u2014 but it was a quick reminder of what the 28-year-old Swanson can provide up front as the United States prepares for next year\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuper grateful,\u201d she said afterward. \u201cObviously it takes a lot to get back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"FILE
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFILE – Unites States forward Mallory Swanson (9) plays against Iceland defenders Emil\u00eda \u00c1sgeirsd\u00f3ttir (5) and Gudny \u00c1rnad\u00f3ttir (20) during an international friendly women’s soccer match, Oct. 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Player at left unidentified. (AP Photo\/John Amis, File)<\/p>\n

The U.S. lost to defending World Cup champion Spain 2-0 on Saturday, unable to rally after conceding two goals in the first 14 minutes. Swanson\u2019s entrance as a substitute near the midway point of the second half was a bright spot. She\u2019d last played for the U.S. in October 2024 before having her first child last year with her husband, major league shortstop Dansby Swanson.<\/p>\n

Swanson was on the U.S. team that won the 2019 World Cup, scoring in the team\u2019s tournament opener at age 21. A knee injury kept her out of the 2023 World Cup, but she was back for the Paris Olympics the following year, scoring in the final against Brazil to lift the U.S. to the gold medal.<\/p>\n

Swanson has 38 goals for the national team, combining with Sophia Wilson (25) and Trinity Rodman (13) to form the trio known as Triple Espresso. They haven\u2019t played together much of late, with Wilson having a daughter in September 2025 and Swanson having hers in November.<\/p>\n

Wilson returned to the national team in April. Swanson was on the roster in June for a pair of matches against Brazil in Brazil, the site of next year\u2019s World Cup. She didn\u2019t play in a game for the U.S. until last weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically I\u2019m feeling better and better. Obviously, coming back from a baby is completely different than an injury, and everybody\u2019s body\u2019s completely different,\u201d Swanson said. \u201cIt was definitely a learning curve, but I\u2019m feeling better and better and definitely have the support that I need around me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swanson made her return to her club team, the Chicago Stars, back in May. Playing again for the national team is a different kind of milestone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think getting back to playing is one thing, but to do it at the highest level is another,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m just very grateful to be back here and have the support that I have had.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The U.S. can officially qualify for the World Cup with a win over El Salvador in Texas next month, but the Americans are already playing matches that can be considered significant preparation for next year. They experienced playing on the road in June, when they split a pair of games against Brazil. They lost to Spain, the world\u2019s top-ranked team, on Saturday in Washington. There will be a rematch with Spain on Tuesday night in the Philadelphia area.<\/p>\n

The U.S. had most of the chances after falling behind 2-0, but couldn\u2019t beat Spain goalie Adriana Nanclares.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we actually created a lot,\u201d Swanson said. \u201cIt\u2019s just now trying to get that final piece of quality inside the box. Trying to do that and then defensively, trying just to apply the pressure when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

\n See AP\u2019s full soccer coverage here<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Back on the field for the U.S. national team after a two-year absence, Mallory Swanson…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":930513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":["post-930512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=930512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/930512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/930513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=930512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=930512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=930512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}