USWNT star Mallory Swanson has a torn patella tendon and is likely out of the World Cup

Though she has not been officially ruled out of this year’s World Cup, which starts July 20, the usual recovery time for torn patella tendon is six months.

Mallory Swanson made a heart gesture to fans as she was carted off the field after suffering a torn patella tendon in her left knee in Saturday's game against the Republic of Ireland.Read moreEric Gay / AP

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Apr. 9, 2023, 3:01 p.m. ET

The dramatic left knee injury U.S. women’s soccer team star winger Mallory Swanson suffered during Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland turned out to be a torn patella tendon, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced Sunday.

Swanson took the impact of a challenge by Ireland’s Aoife Mannion on her left leg in the 40th minute of Saturday’s game, immediately went down shouting in pain, and was carted off. The gruesome video of Swanson on the ground showed an eerie dip under the skin of her knee where a normal patella should slightly protrude. She was taken to a local hospital in Austin, Texas, site of Saturday’s game.

U.S. Soccer said Swanson returned to Chicago, where she lives and plays for the NWSL’s Red Stars, on Sunday. Though she has not been officially ruled out of this year’s World Cup, which starts July 20, the usual recovery time for torn patella tendons is six months.

Swanson was projected to be the starting left winger on the U.S. World Cup team. She had been in exceptional form in recent months, with 14 goals in 21 games since the start of last year — including seven goals in six games in 2023.

Angel City FC’s 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, the first pick in this year’s NWSL draft, was called in as a replacement.

Thompson already has two senior national team caps, earned last October when she was still in high school at Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles. Had FIFA allowed this year’s women’s World Cup rosters to be 26 players like last year’s men’s squads, instead of the usual 23, Thompson would have been a candidate for one of the three extra slots.

Lynn Williams and Trinity Rodman are now the top two left wingers on the depth chart, with Thompson behind them. U.S. Soccer didn’t say why Thompson was chosen over anyone else, in particular veteran winger Midge Purce, but Thompson plays more often on the left and Purce plays on the right.

The U.S. and Ireland meet again Tuesday in St. Louis (7:30 p.m., Universo, HBO Max, Peacock).