Unfortunately, Mallory Swanson went down with a severe knee injury in the USWNT friendly against Ireland on April 8. It was later confirmed that she suffered a torn patellar tendon in her left knee, which is tough news for the forward who was in the best form of her career.
It’s a devastating injury that takes her out of the running for the World Cup roster at a time when she had become the star of the team.
In the last year, Swanson has been playing great and has been a consistent goal-scorer for the national team. At the 2023 SheBelieves Cup, she powered the USWNT offense scoring four goals and taking home the tournament MVP. Going into the friendly against Ireland, Swanson had scored in six consecutive matches with eight total goals in her last six games.
Here’s a little bit more about the injury that Swanson suffered.
What is a patellar tendon tear?
The patellar tendon is a ligament that attaches the kneecap to the shinbone and crosses over the kneecap, or patella, to keep it in place. It’s responsible for things like allowing your knee to straighten. 
The severity of the tear can be either partial or complete. The details of Swanson’s tear weren’t released, so it’s unclear what the severity of her injury was….
