There were just too many family members and friends for Highlands Ranch native Mallory Swanson to provide with tickets for her first match back in Colorado since tearing her patellar tendon a little more than a year ago.
Knowing her teammates from Colorado, Lindsey Horan and Sophia Smith may do the same, she rushed to purchase a suite at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, so all her closest people could witness a healthy, full-strength forward do her thing.
And that’s exactly what she did.
In the 34th minute of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 4-0 win against South Korea — the first match of the Emma Hayes era as head coach — Smith found Swanson on a short through ball into the box on a diagonal run.
From about 15 yards out, Swanson slotted it to the bottom right corner at the near post to score her first goal for the national team since her injury. The first in her home state since 2019. The first USWNT goal under Hayes’ leadership.
“I was just super thankful that I could play in front of (my family) again and that I could play on this team,” Swanson said. “You never know when the last time you could play (can be). With all of these people, they supported me all of last year through my injury, so for them to be in the stands and see me back on the field doing what I love is super special.”
She ended the match with two goals — another in the 74th minute from just about the same spot — and an assist on a corner to Tierna Davidson, who also scored a brace.
Having to miss the World Cup last summer due to the injury, there have been plenty of what-ifs. But what matters now is the fact Swanson is back and clearly at or very near full strength — she played all 90 minutes.
For Hayes, the connection between her and Smith for the first goal was a microcosm of exactly the sort of attacking soccer the team can and plans to play. In fact, according to Hayes, it could have been even deadlier.
Given the context of Swanson’s trajectory over the past year, she was thrilled with what she saw either way.
“I couldn’t ask for anymore (from Swanson),” Hayes said. “She’s a player I’ve always admired, so the opportunity to coach her and see firsthand the qualities she possesses … She’s a connector and she’s magnetic as a human being in the way she operates in the team.
“She can multitask, do what she does on the pitch and she can listen on the sidelines. I noticed that about her today. Now the goal is to keep her fit and keep her healthy because she’s an important part of what we’re going to do.”
For Smith, who watched her pass between two defenders pay dividends in the buildup of the first goal and was the first to celebrate with her fellow Colorado native afterward, the connection was a breath of fresh, thin Colorado air.
When Swanson scored her brace — the third straight from a Coloradan at DSGP for the USWNT (Swanson in 2019, Smith in 2022) — Smith was elated to see “Mal being Mal.”
“It’s so fun to see Mal back out there. She’s one of my favorite people to play with. She’s like my big sister,” Smith said. “I watched her definitely go through a tough time as we all kind of unfortunately have in this sport. But to see her back out there … yeah, it’s a good feeling for sure.”
Before Hayes is tasked with selecting 18 players for the Paris Olympic Games later this summer, the USWNT will play three more friendlies, the next one being a rematch against South Korea at Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minn., on Tuesday.
With Swanson likely to be on the list if she keeps producing at this level, she’d be wise to start saving now if she wants to purchase another suite in Paris.
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