"I felt like God was testing our marriage" - Dansby Swanson's wife Mallory Pugh opens up about facing challenges together as athletes & spouses

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is married to Mallory Pugh, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the US Women's Soccer League.

The couple talked about the challenges they faced together as athletes and spouses. They also addressed the injury that Mallory sustained ahead of the Women's FIFA World Cup last year in Australia and New Zealand, on the podcast presented by Dansby on his official YouTube channel.

While everything was going right for Mallory Pugh, she sustained an injury just before the 2023 World Cup in an USWNT friendly in April 2023. It sidelined her for the entirety of the FIFA World Cup, and then only hit the field again in September 2023 in training sessions with the Red Stars.

While Dansby Swanson and Mallory Pugh have their individual sporting careers to ficus on, the couple shed light on the challenges they had to face as spouses while always being on the run all around the States and sometimes globally too.

Dansby started by saying:

"I mean you can even go right when we got back from the honeymoon, I repacked a bag and went upto Chicago to do the press conference. It was like as soon as we got marries it was just like on go."

To which Mallory Pugh immediately cut in between, adding:

"It was like as soon as we got married, I felt like God was testing our marriage a lot. I had to come back here, Dansby said we had to come back home pack a bag and then go back to the airport to go to Chicago and I was like I'll see you there in a couple of days."

"And then we get back here have a couple of weeks and then I left to go to New Zealand beacuse in NZ was Women's World Cup last year and then things were going really well. I was playing really really well and then boom."

While Mallory Pugh was talking about her struggles sustained in 2023, Dansby Swanson added to her claims that everything was going well by saying:

"You were balling. It was probably the best year of your career"

This just showcased how well Dansby and Mallory Pugh carried each other through the thicks and thins of their individual careers while keeping up with their nascent matrimonial ties that intertwined in between all the sporting highs and lows.

Dansby Swanson looks geared up to star in his second full season with the Chicago Cubs in 2024

After enduring minor slumps and setbacks during a teensy part of the 2023 MLB season, Dansby Swanson has set his eyes on a better and more productive 2024.

He won his second gold glove, blasted 22 home runs, and made it to the NL All-Star team last season. So far in spring training, Swanson has been on song at the home plate with a BA of .357.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has voiced the omnipotent presence of Dansby Swanson on field. But he also wants to give the star shortstop the necessary rest throughout the season to bump up his productivity to the maximum, which he showcased during his time playing with the Braves.