Born to parents who were elite athletes in their own right, Mallory Swanson has a mixed ethnicity.
Coming from a sports family, her folks understood the life of an athlete, which made it easier for her to be where she is now.
Swanson is a forward for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT).
Since her first game with the USWNT when she was 17, she has made a name for herself, locally and regionally.
Mallory Swanson is a woman of color on the USWNT helping increase opportunities for Black people in soccer!
Mallory Swanson is one-third of the self-titled “Triple Espresso” trio, along with Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman. These players could help increase opportunities for Black people in the soccer scene.
Former US goalkeeper Brianna Scurry spoke about them during an interview with Andscape’s Tamerra Griffin on July 14, 2022.
In the feature article “Black Women Are Balling Out, Making Their Impact on the US National Soccer Team,” Scurry revealed they were fantastic people.
She added that their thought process about who they are, what they’re doing, how they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and overall reason and cause behind representing mattered to them was way ahead of where she was at their age.
Mallory Swanson belongs to a sports family with mixed ethnicity!
Mallory Swanson was born Mallory Diane Pugh on April 29, 1998, in Littleton, Colorado, and grew up with her sister.
Swanson’s dad, Horace Pugh, hailed from African-American ethnicity and was a professional Olympic-style events player. He had a knack for playing football throughout childhood and even ran track.
On the other hand, Swanson’s mom, Karen Hugh, was a marathon runner and is white. So, coming from a sports background and a multi-ethnic household, they understood the life of an athlete.
In an interview with Nike, the soccer prodigy mentioned that her parents never showed her sympathy after the training session.
In the interview, Swanson’s old man revealed that whenever she and her sister, Brianna Pugh, had a really hard practice, he and Karen used to say they were crying to the wrong people.
Swanson had a great time growing up with her sister, Brianna, who is five years older than her. The Pugh sisters used to play soccer against one another in Denver’s suburbs.
She always wanted to play with Brianna and her friends, but her elder sister pushed her around and never let her win. Most days, it was Mal against Brianna’s friends.
The soccer player revealed that, “It was 2v1 and I was five years younger. It was so unfair. But it was good for me.“
Swanson’s sister’s soccer team went to the state championship, and she worked her way onto the team’s bench. She used to sit there and fully study every play.
It was a dream come true for the family to witness their younger one shine for the USWNT. Her mom revealed she had worked hard, and their family made many sacrifices. It was a long journey for everybody.
Having a strong support system has added to her booming career. She continues making her folks proud.
Additional Information
- Mallory Swanson is happily married to American baseball shortstop Dansby Swanson. The lovebirds met through her brother-in-law, Jace Pederson, who is Dansby’s former teammate.
- The couple got married on December 10, 2022, and she began using her married name in 2023. They had gotten engaged in December 2021.
- At the age of 4, she used to watch soccer games broadcast in Spanish on her 13-inch Hello Kitty TV. She is now the second youngest American player to travel to the Olympics. She is just one month older than Cindy Parlow, the player who helped take the US Women’s team to gold in 1996.
