On the mighty day of January 27, 2025, an unexpected announcement emerged from the Chicago Stars’ communications. To everyone’s surprise, the NWSL side’s star player, Mallory Swanson, revealed she would be stepping away from soccer until further notice, citing “personal reasons.” The news left many puzzled, wondering what could have prompted Swanson to make such a decision.

Even the 27-year-old herself refrained from sharing any details at the time. Throughout this period, Mal remained active on social media, yet never directly addressed her absence from the pitch—until May 7, after missing seven NWSL matches and a couple of USWNT camps, when she announced her pregnancy with her husband, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.

It’s safe to say the 2024 Paris Olympian is out of action because of a maternity break. However, as such a hiatus could potentially lead to a disconnect with her teammates, one might wonder how she plans to prevent that. Fear not—determined to avoid such a gap, the former UCLA Bruins alumna is going the extra mile to stay involved and maintain her role within the club, even while sidelined.

“Yeah, I’m feeling good,” Mallory Swanson began while speaking with the NWSL commentator, as the forward made her presence felt at SeatGeek Stadium during her side’s regular-season clash against Bay FC on Sunday. “It’s been fun to still be able to be at games, around the team, and in training and stuff.”

Notably, this isn’t the first Mal has been sidelined for such a lengthy period. In April 2023, she sustained a severe knee injury during a USWNT friendly against Ireland, tearing her patellar tendon. Her kneecap shifted upward into her thigh, which she first thought was a dislocation. The setback kept her out for the entire 2023 season, including the World Cup, and required several surgeries along with a long recovery.

It was after 343 days, three surgeries, and a life-changing infection that Swanson finally returned to action in March 2024. Now, although she’s once again sidelined—but this time not due to injury—she knows how to draw from her previous long absence to better support and guide her teammates.

“I just give any insight and input into the game. Last time, when I was hurt with my knee, I just realized that my teammates value that a lot so, just trying to speak up a little bit more with what I see and trying just to help the team in that way,” added the former Sky Blue FC star, insisting how fun it has been to watch the team albeit her absence. Then again, we feel “fun” isn’t likely the appropriate term to use here.

Is Chicago Stars suffering due to the absence of Mallory Swanson?

Honestly, the first half of the 2025 NWSL season hasn’t been particularly favorable for the Chicago Stars. For starters, the Illinois-based club is struggling heavily in the regular-season standings. Yesterday’s 1-1 draw against Bay FC only added to their woes, leaving them stuck in 13th place.

In over 15 games, they’ve managed just one win, five draws, and nine losses—accumulating a mere eight points. This is certainly not the start they were hoping for, and they’ll need to seriously reflect on what has gone wrong. Sure, a lack of accountability in attack and a shaky defensive line are obvious problems.

But it’s also fair to admit that the absence of Mallory Swanson has disrupted their momentum. Last season wasn’t much of a success either, though they did scrape into the NWSL playoffs with an eighth-place finish before crashing out to Orlando Pride in the first knockout round with a 4-1 score line.

This year, however, things have gone from bad to worse, making them a real concern. While Swanson’s absence has certainly hurt their goal scoring, they need to find other ways to improve. Otherwise, with no clear timeline for their star forward’s return, there’s little reason to believe their fortunes will turn around anytime soon.