Swanson was riding high on a fresh start and the excitement of sharing the city with his wife, Mallory Pugh Swanson, a rising star for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. But as he watched her play in a friendly against Ireland, the joy of a new season was shattered in an instant. On the field, Mallory went down clutching her knee, and the world seemed to stop. For Dansby, the news hit like a punch to the gut: Mallory had torn her patella tendon, a devastating injury that would sideline her for months and cast a shadow over both their careers.

During a recent Diggin’ Deep Shows podcast, while recalling the gut-wrenching moment, Swanson shared, “We’re all fired up; we’re watching Mal, and then she goes down. It was kind of a dirty play. I forgot what team they’re playing, but the girl who kind of sideswiped her goes down. I mean, it looks like she has a concussion. It does not look good; she goes on the sidelines.” No doubt, it was one of the most ghastly injuries to occur in women’s soccer at that time. The severity was such that Mallory Swanson couldn’t play in the Women’s World Cup and missed nearly the entire 2023 season with the Chicago Red Stars. 

Her husband initially believed she might be alright when he saw her warming up shortly after being sidelined. It was after knowing that she was carted off the field, he realized the severity of her injury. And that realization broke him! “I threw my bat down, sprinted upstairs, and started calling her parents, trying to figure out what happened. I found out that she tore her patellar tendon and, dude, I just remember in that moment I just literally in that moment started weeping,” Swanson said. Despite the momentary shock, Swanson showed up for his team for the game against the Mariners. And it turned out quite well as the Cubs secured a 14-9 victory.

It was his wife who insisted on his return to the game, assuring him that she would be fine. Swanson praised his wife, saying she is one of the strongest people he has ever met. But after the game, Swanson went to see her; she flew home the following day and had surgery a few days later. Throughout her recovery,  Swanson stayed by her side, helping her until she finally made her way back to the Red Stars in March 2024.

Even as Swanson devoted himself to her recovery, the magnitude of what Mallory was facing was only beginning to unfold.

Dansby Swanson’s father inspired Mallory’s comeback

This was the toughest setback of Mallory’s career. The devastating knee injury even kept her out of the 2023 World Cup and nearly the entire Red Stars season. The world saw her resilience, but the real story was unfolding off the field. While faith and a strong support system played a crucial role in her recovery, it was a single, simple phrase that echoed in her mind and helped her push through those dark days.

Back in 2021, when injuries were already threatening to derail her progress, Mallory received advice from Cooter Swanson, the father of her husband, Dansby. “Just keep on keeping on,” he told a message so straightforward, yet so powerful, it became her personal mantra. As Mallory explained on the Just Women’s Sports ‘Snacks’ podcast, those words reminded her that adversity is temporary: “You just got to keep on and keep moving forward, and eventually the hard times, the tough times, and the adversity will pass. It doesn’t make it any easier… but it will pass.”

This mindset didn’t just help her survive; it helped her thrive. After nearly a year of grueling rehab and uncertainty, Mallory made her long-awaited return to the field, scoring a brace for the USWNT against the Republic of Korea- her first goals back, and a statement that she was ready to fight for her Olympic dream