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Mallory Swanson injury: USWNT’s best solutions for the World Cup

Mallory Swanson tore the patella tendon in her left knee in April. (John Todd/USSF/Getty Images)

On Saturday, the unthinkable happened. Months away from the 2023 World Cup, the U.S. women’s national team lost a locked-in starter when Mallory Swanson went down with a torn patella tendon in her left knee late in the first half of the team’s friendly against the Republic of Ireland.

There’s never a good time for a long-term injury, but the twist of fate that befell Swanson’s planted leg is devastating not only for a young U.S. team looking to battle for its third straight World Cup trophy, but also for a player who had worked her way back into the starting lineup through determination and skill. The timeline for Swanson’s return hasn’t been officially confirmed, but the severity of the injury makes it all but certain she will miss this summer’s World Cup.

Because of the short timeline, there’s very little room to dwell on what might have been. The U.S. has one friendly left on Tuesday night before naming the 23-player roster for the 2023 World Cup, and now they have to evaluate a starting role that head coach Vlatko Andonovski hadn’t anticipated opening up.

Replacing the irreplaceable

In many ways, Swanson is irreplaceable. The 24-year-old has World Cup experience to draw on and was in the form of her life before Saturday’s injury. Swanson had scored a towering seven goals for the USWNT in 2023 alone, and her confidence on the ball in front of goal had never been higher as she grew into a well-rounded playmaker.

She’d also been taking steps into a leadership role while playing for the Chicago Red Stars, her NWSL club. Last November, she spurred the USWNT’s comeback against Germany that saved the team from a historic losing streak. Her off-the-ball defensive work rate is one of the highest on the national team, and she provides relief for the outside back who plays behind her by shutting down lanes on the left flank.

Another underrated element of Swanson’s absence is the loss of her dead-ball ability, which she had been quietly honing with the Red Stars. Swanson’s corner kick delivery was consistent, and she was becoming more clinical from the penalty spot. With Megan Rapinoe no longer a likely starter, Swanson’s skill on set pieces was an asset the U.S. increasingly relied upon.

Finally, Swanson was an incredibly durable player before the contact injury that will now sideline her for some time. The U.S. finds ways to rotate players, but Andonovski’s preferred wingers — Swanson and Sophia Smith — were expected to carry a heavy minutes load throughout the World Cup. Even when rotating in younger talent like Trinity Rodman or Alyssa Thompson, or a veteran like Rapinoe, the U.S. is going to have to account for subbing patterns that would have been unnecessary with Swanson available.

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Trinity Rodman is the most likely starting replacement for Swanson on the left wing. (Erin Chang/USSF/Getty Images)

U.S. winger depth can absolutely step up

If there is any silver lining for the USWNT with such little time to adjust, it’s that winger is one of the team’s deepest positions. When Swanson originally had to leave Saturday’s match, she was replaced by Rodman, who has repeatedly proven herself in a USWNT jersey.

The 18-year-old Thompson replaced Swanson on the U.S. roster for the second game against Ireland, and Andonovski told reporters she’ll get time in Tuesday’s game. Thompson has all the tools to be one of the next great American wingers, as shown by the goals she’s already scored at the professional level with Angel City. But her opportunity on the biggest stage might be coming sooner than expected, and it’s up to the coaching staff to make sure she isn’t placed under too much pressure before she is ready.

Finally, the largest presence looming over the position is that of Rapinoe, who was fit enough to join the team for the SheBelieves Cup before being left off the April roster with a lingering calf injury. Rapinoe’s fitness has ebbed and flowed throughout the last year, but when healthy, she has provided a calm veteran presence and a spark off the bench for the U.S. in important games. Andonovski’s original vision for Rapinoe was as a mentor working in tandem with Swanson as a starter, a luxury the team no longer has.

Rodman is well on her way to having the right balance of off-the-ball tenacity and on-the-ball skill to step up in Swanson’s absence, but the reality for Andonovski is it might take a combination of three possible replacements to adequately make up for his lost star. Rapinoe is the dead-ball expert, Rodman is the connective playmaker, and Thompson is the speedy striker with an ability to run at defenses.

Striking the proper balance and making the right roster decisions could be the difference between the U.S. weathering the storm for the World Cup and failing to adapt after a run of terrible injury luck.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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