Mallory Pugh once reflected on how Olympics snub provided vital recovery time and break from national team

Mallory Pugh is an American soccer player who plays in the forward position for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

She is married to MLB player Dansby Swanson. Pugh threw a ceremonial first pitch for husband Swanson before Thursday night's game between the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In August 2022, in an interview, Pugh addressed how her Olympic snub was a blessing in disguise.

Pugh was crestfallen when USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski informed her in January 2020 that she had not made it to the Olympic qualifying roster. Further, she was injured at a USWNT camp in January 2021 and was hence removed from the Olympic roster for 2021 too.

However, the player looked at the bright side of things: she took time off to rest and recover so that she could start all over again.

“Yeah, I think that not making the Olympic roster was actually the best thing that happened to my career. I think that it allowed me to, one, figure out some injuries and different things happening with my body, but also kind of like give me some time away from the national team to work through that and work through the adversity. So yeah, it’s weird to say that, but I’m very thankful that that happened,” Mallory Pugh said in an interview.

Delving into Mallory and Dansby Swanson's lives

Pugh scored for her country in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup that was held in France. She became the third-youngest goal scorer for her team in the history of the World Cup. She was a part of the team for all its matches at the World Cup Group stage.

Pugh broke the Olympic record as the youngest woman to score when she scored for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team against Colombia.

Dansby has had his share of achievements. He has 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, one Gold Glove, and the 2022 All-Star selection to his name. Teams such as the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, and Philadelphia Phillies were interested in signing him. Currently, he plays for the Chicago Cubs.

"Go Cubs Go" - Mallory Pugh's post on Instagram.

The MLB player and the American forward are married to each other.

The couple began dating each other in 2017. After several years of dating each other, Dansby finally proposed to Pugh and shared a picture of the same on social media on December 3, 2021.

"Mr. and Mrs. Swanson coming soon" - Dansby shares the news of their impending wedding on Instagram.

A year later on December 10, 2022, the couple tied the knot.