Mallory Swanson’s Journey to Being the Highest-Paid Women’s Soccer Player in the U.S.

Ahead of the 2024 season, the Chicago Red Stars made an important move when they announced that they signed Mallory Swanson to a new contract that spans four years with an option for a fifth. The contract makes Swanson the highest-paid player in the league. CBS Sports revealed that the contract equals close to $2 million with about $400,000 per year. 

The move was huge for both Swanson and the Red Stars. Chicago has seen a lot of player movement recently, so being able to lock down their star player was massive for the club. Swanson likely had offers to go elsewhere in the league or overseas, but she wanted to stay in Chicago. Swanson’s husband, Dansby Swanson, is in the MLB with the Chicago Cubs. 

Swanson began her soccer career in Colorado, playing for Real Colorado in the ECNL. She was originally supposed to attend UCLA before she decided to forgo college and turn pro, joining the Washington Spirit at just 19. Swanson led the way for many of the teenagers we see joining the league now. 

She spent three seasons with the Spirit, appearing in 40 games and scoring ten goals. In 2020, Swanson was traded to Sky Blue FC, but she only appeared in the NWSL Fall Series, with the regular season being canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

In 2021, Swanson was on the move again. This time, she was traded to the Chicago Red Stars. During the 2022 season, she made 23 appearances and scored four goals for the Red Stars. 

Swanson had a breakout year in the league in 2022. In 13 appearances for Chicago, she scored 11 goals. 

The forward is also a star for the USWNT. She earned her first call-up and appearance in 2016 at just 17. She scored her first goal in her first appearance. Since making her first appearance, she’s represented the USWNT at the Olympics and helped the United States win the 2019 Women’s World Cup. In her national team career, she’s made 88 appearances, scored 32 goals, and tallied 27 assists. 

2023 looked poised to be a big year for Swanson. She scored in five straight games for the USWNT and had seven goals in six appearances, which led the team. Unfortunately, she suffered a severe knee injury in April of 2023 that sidelined her for the whole year. 

Swanson is a great player that can instantly change the game. It was huge for Chicago to keep Swanson in the Windy City. As preseason gets underway across the league, we’ll be looking out to see signs of Swanson leading the Red Stars team this year. 

Featured image via @malpugh on Instagram

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