Chicago Stars striker Mallory Swanson and her husband, Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, announced Wednesday in a joint Instagram post that they’re expecting their first child.
Mallory Swanson hasn’t played this season after the Stars released a statement Jan. 27 that she wouldn’t be participating in training camp for “personal reasons.” In that same statement, Swanson thanked the National Women’s Soccer League club and its fans “for their understanding during this time.”
“I appreciate the kindness and encouragement from my teammates and all the Stars staff and hope to be back with the team and playing in front of our fans as soon as I can,” Swanson said then.
A top striker for the U.S. women’s national team, Swanson rose to new heights last summer in Paris when she scored the only goal in the Olympic final against Brazil to power the Americans to their fifth gold medal. Since making her senior team debut at 17, she has netted 38 goals for the U.S. team.
Swanson has been Chicago’s leading goal scorer for three of her four years with the team and had seven goals in 2024. She missed most of the 2023 season after suffering a torn patella tendon in her left knee, with her recovery later elongated by infection.
The couple met in 2017 and were married in December 2022. Days after their wedding, Dansby signed a seven-year, $177 million contract with the Cubs. In 2024, Mallory re-signed with the Stars for a reported five-year, $2 million deal.
The Swansons did not share a due date, making Mallory’s timeline to return unclear. While players have pushed the limits of returning from pregnancy — in 2022, Crystal Dunn played her first game for the Portland Thorns only 16 weeks after giving birth to her first son — Swanson is unlikely to return to the Stars before the season ends in November.