USWNT 2-0 victory over Ireland and Julie Ertz's return overshadowed by first-half Mallory Swanson knee injury

Swanson was injured near the end of the first half and immediately carted off and taken to the hospital

The United States women's national team lost top winger Mallory Swanson to a leg injury on Saturday but defeated Ireland 2-0 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas. The two teams will play a pair of friendlies during the April international window. USA has claimed game one, and both sides will conclude the two-game series on Tuesday in St. Louis. Emily Fox and Lindsey Horan scored goals for the U.S. in the victory, and midfielder Julie Ertz made her return to the game after a nearly two-year absence. 

The biggest moment of the game wasn't either of the USWNT's two goals, but rather an injury to Swanson which couldn't have come at a worse time either for the player or the team. Swanson went down awkwardly after a tackle shortly before halftime, immediately grabbing her left knee and signaling to the bench. Following a lengthy delay followed before Swanson was carted off the field and taken to the hospital with a left knee injury.

How bad is a Swanson loss for the USWNT?

Let's just go with near-catastrophic. There have been constant question marks around positional areas on the pitch post-Olympic games, but the attacking line was not a territory of concern with the rise in form by Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith.  While the midfield and even backline have seen rotation, a trio of Swanson, Smith, and Alex Morgan has been the constant for the team the last nine months, dating back to last year's World Cup qualifiers, the Concacaf W Championship. 

Saturday's game against Ireland featured the attacking three once more, and the game had an early physical element to it. Swanson had a tough two weeks leading into national team camps. During her previous NWSL club match with Chicago Red Stars, the winger took an elbow to the throat but was able to finish the game. During the USWNT training camp, Swanson took some friendly fire in scrimmages and earned a black eye in the process.

Then mid-game against Ireland, the forward was involved in a scary collision with Ireland keeper Courtney Brosnan. Unable to stop her momentum, Swanson stumbled forward, flying into Brosnan's knee is the keeper collected the ball. There was an extended stoppage in play as the medical team examined her shoulder, neck, and head. After getting re-evaluated on the sideline, Swanson was checked back into the game but later sustained what appeared to be a left knee injury after a collision with a field player. 

After the match USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski was asked about Swanson's first injury, as concussion protocols allow an extra sub if needed.  He emphasized Swanson's injury was not brain related. 

"No, her brain was very good," said Andonovski "Even after the second injury when she was going off the field. She had a big smile on her face and said 'Coach, I'm good. I promise I'll be good.' Okay, you're stronger than me."

The manager credited the medical staff with ensuring Swanson was in stable condition to play after her initial injury, that Swanson was transported to a hospital for further evaluation, and that they hope to have good news for a future update.

"We wanted to make sure that she's okay. Our medical staff went to make sure that she's okay. Obviously, with this game being so close to the World Cup we didn't want to take any chance. If there was any slight chance that she should have not been back on the field, we were gonna keep her off, but she felt good. Everything was fine and she was back on the field."

While the team waits for an update, it presents a new set of questions for the coaching staff on who will fit the ideal starting eleven with the World Cup just four months away. 

Julie Ertz returns to play

Midfielder Julie Ertz made her comeback official as she earned her first playing time in nearly two years. After 611 days the two-time World Cup champion made her return to the pitch as a substitute for Andi Sullivan in the 67th minute. Prior to the game, Ertz was honored with a 100 caps ceremony, a milestone she reached with the team back in 2020.

"It's surreal. I feel like it's almost a movie for me with all of these things coming together," Ertz said postgame. 

The 20 minutes she played isn't enough to snag a spot in Australia and New Zealand this summer, but it's evident it is the first step to claiming a place on Andonovski's final roster. Her off-the-bench performance included a header on a corner kick just two minutes into her time on the field, and she picked up a yellow card for a foul three minutes after the set piece attempt. Later, however, she did play the pass that led to Horan being hauled down for a penalty, and the team's second goal. The squad has welcomed and embraced her return, but she'll need more playing time to see if she can provide 90 minutes. 

Her initial inclusion on the roster came with her unattached to a club, though the midfielder has stated that she is in conversation with several NWSL teams at the moment. And when asked after the match what she hoped her future held after this window, she simple responded "attached."

Andonovski has previously claimed that club play is important to his evaluations, and with April the final window for the national team before the World Cup, club performance will be the final indicator for players trying to crack the roster.

What's next

The USWNT will close out the international window with a second match against Ireland. The two teams will meet in St. Louis on Tuesday at CITYPARK stadium. There are plans to honor team captain Becky Sauerbrunn who is a St. Louis native. 

[Apr 8, 2023 at 3:11 pm ET · Mike Goodman]

USWNT 2 - 0 Ireland

[Apr 8, 2023 at 4:21 pm ET · Sandra Herrera]

HORAN CONVERTS

80' Horan steps to the spot and takes a shot to her left. Brosnan guesses correctly and gets a hand on it but the shot has enough power to land in the back of the net. 2-0, USA. 

[Apr 8, 2023 at 4:20 pm ET · Sandra Herrera]

PENALTY TO USA

79' The official has called a penalty after Caldwell gets tangled up in the box with Horan. 

[Apr 8, 2023 at 4:16 pm ET · Sandra Herrera]

Julie Ertz makes her return

69' Ertz officialy makes her return to the pitch after nearly two-years. Gets the armband from Sauerbrunn in honor of her 100th cap that she earned back in 2020 before the pandemic shut down soccer globally. Ertz was also celebrated before the match. 

[Apr 8, 2023 at 4:02 pm ET · Sandra Herrera]

Rodman with a chance!

Lavelle continues playmaking, this time connects with Rodman on a run into the box but her quick shot is over the bar. She subbed in for Swanson and has been doing a good job this half making herself an option on the attacking line. 

[Apr 8, 2023 at 3:48 pm ET · Sandra Herrera]

USA with a quick start

46' Lavelle breaks the line with a threaded pass to Smith on the left wing. Smith gets on the ball but runs out of space with her momentum.