Litman Lake
Football and college football analyst
AUSTIN, Texas – United States Women’s National Team star forward Mallory Swanson left Saturday’s game against the Republic of Ireland on a stretcher after suffering a serious left knee injury. She was immediately taken to a local hospital.
In the 40th minute, Swanson came into contact with Ireland defender Aoife Mannion and went down clutching her left knee, writhing in what appeared to be excruciating pain. American teammates Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan quickly waved to the team’s coaches to come onto the field and attend to her. After at least five minutes, Swanson, who was surrounded by coaches and teammates, was taken off the field. As the chariot pulled away, he raised his hands in the shape of a heart before a worried and anxious crowd.
With the World Cup just over three months away, Swanson’s health is a major concern for the USWNT. After all, she has been the team’s best player in 2023. Swanson entered Saturday’s game on a six-goal streak, which is tied for the fourth-longest hitting streak of any player in U.S. soccer history. the USWNT. That includes scoring seven goals in five games this calendar year.
Swanson was also injured early in the game. In the 26th minute, Mannion pushed her into the box and Swanson’s header appeared to collide directly with goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan. The play did not result in a penalty, but Swanson grabbed the left side of his head and was on the ground for more than five minutes. Swanson had been hit by a ball during practice earlier in the week, which left her with a black eye and a noticeable bruise on her face.
After team trainers checked his neck and head, Swanson got up, ran, took a sip of water and re-entered the game. Trinity Rodman stood up briefly thinking she might replace Swanson, but Swanson appeared to be fine.
Social media was abuzz, wondering why Andonovski would risk putting Swanson back in the game after a collision like that, but there was no way anyone could have predicted that he would suffer a serious injury later on. After all, players need to get as many minutes as possible while preparing for the World Cup.
The World Cup runs from July 20 to August 20 and matches will be played in 10 stadiums in nine cities across Australia and New Zealand.
The U.S. opens Group E play against Vietnam on July 22 at Eden Park in Auckland, faces the Netherlands on July 27 at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington and faces Portugal on ‘August 1 in Auckland.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in the spring of 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
More Women’s World Cup from FOX Sports:
Mallory Swanson
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FIFA Women’s World Cup
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