Mallory Swanson isn’t just chasing goals. Not the soccer kind. At least not only.
The Chicago Red Stars forward is back. She gave birth in November to a daughter, Josie. By May, she was running on the pitch again. By June, she made the U.S. Women’s National team roster. It looked fast. It wasn’t.
“I think that every woman’s body is different,” Swanson says. The comeback was a journey. Postpartum life hits differently depending on who you are. She learned that the hard way.
But her head changed too. A bad game used to wreck her week. Now? It barely registers.
“If I have a bad game, it doesn’t matter.” She goes home to Josie. That’s the point. The sideline becomes her real VIP section. She laughs thinking about it. “She’s seven months old. She doesn’t know what’s happening.” She will, eventually. Mallory plans to share it all with her.
There’s another role she’s slipped into lately. Philanthropy. Or at least, Purpose & Calling. That’s what she and her husband, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, call their foundation.
They launched it last July. The mission is straightforward: no kid gets left behind because they lack cleats or cash.
“We never want any kid to feel like they can’t achieve their goals because of a lack of resources.”
They grant money to non-profits. They host kids at games. They run youth clinics. Why Chicago? Because the sports culture here beats anywhere else in the U.S., they claim. They’re both invested. Deeply.
Mallory signed a long-term deal with the Red Stars. Through 2028, she’s staying. Dansby did something similar for the Cubs. Through 2029. Safe bet is that the Swansons aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Right now, the focus shifts slightly. The men’s World Cup is on. Mallory watches it with nostalgia. She saw the U.S. win Olympic gold in 2012. Where? Buffalo Wild Wings. She was 14. Now she’s partnering with the chain and Pepsi this summer. She remembers every detail.
But the real excitement? Next year. Brazil hosts the Women’s World Cup. The tenth edition. The horizon is shifting toward there.
A daughter watching. A city adopted. A contract signed. Swanson is building something that lasts. What comes after the whistle?
She hasn’t decided yet.
