Chicago soccer report: Mallory Swanson returns, and Kellyn Acosta stuns with midfield game-winner

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Mallory Swanson is back on the pitch for the Chicago Red Stars after missing a full season with a patella tendon tear. Naperville native Vanessa DiBernardo notched a milestone in the first purpose-built women’s soccer stadium in the NWSL.

Kellyn Acosta lifted the Chicago Fire with a stunning 99th-minute midfield goal to cap a 4-3 win over Montreal.

Alyssa Naeher is starting the year off strong for club and country. The United States men’s national team is set for CONCACAF Nations League action this week.

Every other Tuesday throughout the season, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Fire, Red Stars and local soccer.

Mallory Swanson returns from a knee injury

After 343 days, Mallory Swanson is finally back on the pitch.

Swanson was on track to helm both the Red Stars and the U.S. women’s national team last season, bagging seven goals in the first six games of the season for the national team. But a torn patella tendon in an April 8 friendly derailed Swanson’s plans for the season, setting her on a lengthy recovery path that included three surgeries and complications due to an infection.

On Saturday, Swanson completed her return as a starter for the Red Stars, playing 81 minutes in the team’s 2-0 season-opening win over the Utah Royals.

Swanson’s husband Dansby — the starting shortstop for the Cubs — caught a flight from spring training in Arizona to join other family members in Utah for support.

After the game, Swanson shared a post on Instagram detailing her gratitude to return to the pitch.

“Life is a beautiful blessing,” Swanson wrote. “Health is a blessing. This game that I love is a blessing. And at the end of it all I am more than thankful to be able to do what I love again.”

The next goal for Swanson will be a return to the U.S. women’s national team roster ahead of the Paris Olympics.

Kellyn Acosta stuns with midfield game-winner

The wind in Chicago isn’t always an asset for players at Soldier Field — but it may have provided an assist to Kellyn Acosta in scoring the game-winning goal of Saturday’s 4-3 win over Montreal.

With the score deadlocked in the 99th minute of the game, Acosta lofted a ball from deep behind the half line to serve his teammates clumped up in the box for one final scoring attempt. But the ball stayed aloft all the way into the box, dropping behind Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois as he backpedaled frantically and attempted to bat the ball away. Acosta’s unlikely goal sent the Fire ahead by one for their first win of the season.

Vanessa DiBernardo scores milestone goal in Kansas City

Saturday was a day full of firsts for the NWSL with the debut game at the Kansas City Current’s CPKC stadium, which is the country’s first privately financed stadium built specifically for a professional women’s sports team.

And Naperville native Vanessa DiBernardo notched her place in history by scoring the first goal in the historic stadium.

DiBernardo, a former Illinois star and the No. 4 pick by the Red Stars in the 2014 NWSL draft, signed as a free agent with the Current before the 2023 season but played only 11 games before suffering a season-ending concussion. She scored the opening goal in the 22nd minute on the backside after Debinha picked off a poor clearance by Portland Thorns goalkeeper Shelby Hogan. The Current went on to win 5-4.

U.S. men’s national team set for CONCACAF Nations League semifinal

The U.S. men’s national team will face Jamaica on Thursday in the semifinal of the CONCACAF Nations League tournament in Arlington, Texas. The team advanced to the semifinals after winning their quarterfinal series against Trinidad and Tobago in November. The U.S. won the last two iterations of the tournament in 2020 and 2023.

Although neither was selected for the Nations League roster, two Chicago Fire players could earn significant call-ups for the U.S. this year: midfielder Brian Gutiérrez and goalkeeper Chris Brady. Both are Chicago area natives (Gutiérrez from Berwyn, Brady from Naperville) who rose through the Fire’s academy system before signing with the senior team.

Despite not being on the Nations League roster, Brady was called up Monday for Olympic team duty in March and a pair of friendlies against Guinea and France to replace the injured Gaga Slonina.

Number of the week: 3

Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher started the year on a hot streak for club and country.

Naeher saved three penalty kicks and made one of her own in the championship game of the inaugural CONCACAF women’s Gold Cup to lift the U.S. to a win over Canada on March 7.

She provided a similarly stalwart performance in Saturday’s season opener for the Red Stars, making four saves to secure a clean sheet in a 2-0 win.

Week ahead: Fire

  • Saturday: @ New England, 1 p.m., Apple TV

Week ahead: Red Stars

  • Saturday: Seattle Reign, 3 p.m., NWSL+ (Home opener)

Quotable

“She’s the hardest-working person I’ve ever seen in my life.” — Chicago Red Stars head coach Lorne Donaldson on goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher

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