Mallory Swanson Returns to Chicago Stars FC Roster After Maternity Leave

Mallory Swanson is back on the Chicago Stars FC active roster. The 28-year-old missed all of 2025 and the first nine games this season on maternity leave. She gave birth to her daughter, Josie James Swanson, in November. She is in North Carolina with the Stars and will be eligible for selection Saturday against the Courage.

Swanson last appeared for the Stars on November 3, 2024, a playoff loss to the Pride that was the club’s final game as the Red Stars. The club has struggled mightily without her. The Stars finished at the bottom of the table in 2025 and scored only 32 goals in 26 matches. They find themselves back in the cellar heading into this weekend with four goals in nine games. The Stars have been shut out in all seven of their losses, including the last three games.

Swanson scored 23 of her 33 NWSL goals in four seasons with the Stars, good for the third-most in club history. The other 10 came with the Spirit, with whom she signed as a teenager in 2017 after bypassing her college eligibility. That move made her the first player to jump directly to the NWSL without playing in college or overseas.

Swanson signed a historic long-term contract with the Stars in January 2024, keeping her in Chicago through the 2028 season. At the time, the deal was the most lucrative agreement in NWSL history. In 2024, Swanson had seven goals and added four assists, but did not score after July 6.