Mallory Swanson is safe and well, but she has been away from professional soccer because she took time off for personal reasons and then for pregnancy and the birth of her first child.

Quick Scoop: What Happened

  • Mallory Swanson (formerly Mallory Pugh) stepped away from the Chicago Stars and did not report to 2025 NWSL preseason, with the club citing personal reasons and saying they fully supported her decision.
  • At the time, neither she nor the club gave specific details, which led to a lot of online speculation, but it was emphasized that her privacy should be respected.
  • In May 2025 it became public that she and her husband, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, were expecting their first child, explaining her extended absence from the NWSL season.

Pregnancy and Time Away

  • Reports noted that Swanson missed the entire 2025 NWSL season due to her pregnancy, rather than because of a new injury or retirement.
  • By late 2025, coverage described her as having welcomed a baby girl, Josie James, in November and looking ahead to returning to form in 2026.

Injury Background (Why People Ask “What Happened?”)

  • Before the pregnancy news, Swanson already had a history of a serious knee injury: she tore her patellar tendon in 2023, which kept her out of that year’s World Cup.
  • She made a strong comeback, becoming a key attacker for the USWNT, including scoring the winning goal in the 2024 Olympic final against Brazil, so any absence since then has naturally drawn attention from fans.

Current Status and Latest News

  • As of the latest reports going into 2026, Swanson is viewed as a top-level forward expected to return after missing the 2025 NWSL season, now balancing life as a new mother with plans to get back on the field.
  • There has been no credible reporting that she retired or suffered a new major injury; the main publicly known reasons for her absence have been personal leave and then pregnancy/birth of her child.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.