Mallory Swanson has been waiting a long time to return to the international stage, and she made the most of that opportunity Thursday against Zambia in the U.S. women’s soccer team’s season opener, scoring two goals in a minute.
Swanson, who missed the 2023 World Cup after tearing a knee ligament just three months before the tournament, made sure her second Olympics got off to a flying start with a pair of goals in the first half of the United States’ group opener.
On the first goal, Swanson received a great pass from Lindsey Horan as she broke down the left side of the field, depositing the ball into the goal to extend the American lead to 2-0.
A minute later, tic-tac-toe passes from Rose Lavelle and Sophia Smith opened things up again for Swanson, who faced limited space as she sent the ball into the net just before crossing the goal line to make it 3-0.
Swanson has made 15 appearances for the Chicago Red Stars this season in the NWSL, with seven goals and three assists to her name. She is just four goals shy of her career high, set during the 2022 campaign.
She scored one goal in three appearances for Team USA at the 2016 Games in Brazil, but she’s already had a tremendous start to the season in Paris for Team USA.
NBC Chicago
