In The Journey to the Cup, The Athletic tells the stories of players and teams as they work towards a place in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Follow along as we track their progress as they prepare both mentally and physically for a chance to shine on the game’s biggest stage.
Alyssa Thompson was still at practice with her club team, Angel City FC, when Mal Swanson had to leave the United States’ friendly against Republic of Ireland with a knee injury, later revealed to be a torn patella tendon. Thompson checked her phone and saw she had a text from a U.S. Soccer logistics staffer telling her the team needed her ASAP. What had been a normal Saturday turned into a mad dash to get to the airport.
Ahead of the U.S.’s second game against Ireland on Tuesday, players had plenty of well wishes for Swanson.
“We are with her all the way, sending her positive vibes. Hopefully everything is going well on her end,” Lynn Williams told media in the mixed zone. She said that while there had been some direct texting with Swanson, the team was mostly trying to respect her space.
“You want to give her space and just make sure that the medical staff and her family have room to be with her, and also for her to just decompress and figure out exactly what’s going on,” Williams…
