WASHINGTON (AP) — Back on the field for the U.S. national team after a two-year absence, Mallory Swanson glided down the right wing with the ball before playing a brilliant, curling pass behind the defense to Ashley Sanchez near the far post.
The play did not result in a goal — missed chances were piling up by this point for the Americans — but it was a quick reminder of what the 28-year-old Swanson can provide up front as the United States prepares for next year's World Cup.
“Super grateful,” she said afterward. "Obviously it takes a lot to get back."
The U.S. lost to defending World Cup champion Spain 2-0 on Saturday, unable to rally after conceding two goals in the first 14 minutes. Swanson's entrance as a substitute near the midway point of the second half was a bright spot. She'd last played for the U.S. in October 2024 before having her first child last year with her husband, major league shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Swanson was on the U.S. team that won the 2019 World Cup, scoring in the team's tournament opener at age 21. A knee injury kept her out of the 2023 World Cup, but she was back for the Paris Olympics the following year, scoring in the final against Brazil to lift the U.S. to the gold medal.
Swanson has 38 goals for the national team, combining with Sophia Wilson (25) and Trinity Rodman (13) to form the trio known as Triple Espresso. They haven't played together much of late, with Wilson having a daughter in September 2025 and Swanson having hers in November.
Wilson returned to the national team in April. Swanson was on the roster in June for a pair of matches against Brazil in Brazil, the site of next year's World Cup. She didn't play in a game for the U.S. until last weekend.
"Physically I'm feeling better and better. Obviously, coming back from a baby is completely different than an injury, and everybody's body's completely different," Swanson said. "It was definitely a learning curve, but I'm feeling better and better and definitely have the support that I need around me.”
Swanson made her return to her club team, the Chicago Stars, back in May. Playing again for the national team is a different kind of milestone.
“I think getting back to playing is one thing, but to do it at the highest level is another,” she said. “I’m just very grateful to be back here and have the support that I have had.”
The U.S. can officially qualify for the World Cup with a win over El Salvador in Texas next month, but the Americans are already playing matches that can be considered significant preparation for next year. They experienced playing on the road in June, when they split a pair of games against Brazil. They lost to Spain, the world's top-ranked team, on Saturday in Washington. There will be a rematch with Spain on Tuesday night in the Philadelphia area.
The U.S. had most of the chances after falling behind 2-0, but couldn't beat Spain goalie Adriana Nanclares.
“I think that we actually created a lot," Swanson said. "It’s just now trying to get that final piece of quality inside the box. Trying to do that and then defensively, trying just to apply the pressure when needed.”
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
FILE - Unites States forward Mallory Swanson (9) plays against Iceland defenders Emilía Ásgeirsdóttir (5) and Gudny Árnadóttir (20) during an international friendly women's soccer match, Oct. 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Player at left unidentified. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
ENSENADA, México (AP) — Hurricane Simon pounded western Mexico with more wind and rain Monday after tropical weather systems caused two deaths and damage in Pacific coastal towns and resorts.
The eye of the Category 2 hurricane remained offshore as its outer bands of winds and rain slammed communities between the Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Vallarta.
Flood advisories were mostly lifted in the southwestern U.S. after the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel caused weekend flooding in Las Vegas.
In Mexico's Baja California state, rescuers on Monday combed parts of the coastal city of Ensenada where floodwaters swept away vehicles and damaged homes.
Resident Johana Nuriulu said the flooding began during the night, shortly after heavy rain knocked out electricity. “We heard a loud noise that sounded like ocean waves, but really loud,” she said.
Nuriulu said she went outside and discovered that a nearby stream had overflowed, sending water rushing through the neighborhood. The waters inundated streets and homes, sweeping away vehicles and other belongings. “Everything was being dragged away” Nuriulu said.
Several communities were cut off by landslides and overflowing rivers elsewhere in Baja California in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Rachel.
In the afternoon, the Mexican military used helicopters to rescue 32 people — 22 of them foreigners — from a ranch in Ensenada. Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila said 13 were children.
The State Secretary of Security, General Laureano Carrillo, said that some of the group were missionaries holding a meeting at the ranch and that among them were Germans and Americans.
At least 10 people were reported missing and a young girl dead in the aftermath of Rachel, according to Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila.
According to Ávila some 14,000 federal and state personnel had been deployed across Baja California to assist affected residents and respond to the emergency.
To the south, Simon downed trees and electricity poles, blocked roads and flooded homes in coastal towns of Guerrero state, including the major seaport of Acapulco, Gov. Evelyn Salgado said at a news conference.
A 71-year-old man died after a wall collapsed in Chilpancingo, Guerrero's capital, Salgado said.
Simon was expected to remain a hurricane through midweek and make landfall Thursday near Sinaloa. the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Monday evening.
Heavy rainfall associated with Simon — 5 to 10 inches (12.7 to 25.4 centimeters) — in west-central Mexico over the next few days may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, the hurricane center said.
In Puerto Vallarta, workers removed wooden panels from boarded-up storefronts and businesses reopened Monday as rains eased. The popular tourist destination's international airport suspended operations until Tuesday morning.
“Personally, I think we should remain on alert because we don’t really know whether it will arrive, move elsewhere or dissipate,” said Noelia Carrillo, a tourism agency worker.
Rachel weakened into a post-tropical cyclone as it moved north into Southern California. The storm battered the coast with unusually large waves, which tore apart a boardwalk and smashed into homes in Long Beach. Some residents were forced to evacuate.
Las Vegas tied an all-time daily rainfall record for October after receiving 1.08 inches (2.74 centimeters) of rain into Sunday morning, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. The record was set in 1947.
Videos posted on social media showed a torrent of water rushing through a street near the Las Vegas Strip, with a Ferris wheel and casinos in the background.
Andrew Orrison, a weather service meteorologist, said localized flash flooding was still a risk for the region Monday.
“We’ve seen the worst of what Rachel brought ... but unfortunately we are looking at the disturbed weather still lingering,” Orrison said.
Flood advisories were mostly lifted by late Monday in Utah, Arizona and elsewhere in the Southwest.
In Utah, dozens of runners and volunteers who were part of the Moab 240 ultramarathon were evacuated Sunday after being stranded by flooding. The race goes through Canyonlands and Arches National Park.
The additional rainfall is not associated with Rachel, but a different weather system moving across the West, Orrison said. The precipitation is forecast to end by Wednesday.
Power was gradually being restored after Hurricane Isaias hit the U.S. Southeast.
At least four deaths have been linked to Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, which came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane Friday near Destin, Florida, a Gulf Coast vacation spot filled with high-rises and tourist shops. The storm then roared into Alabama with tropical-force winds before dissipating farther north.
About 106,000 customers remained without power by Monday evening in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama, according to poweroutage.com. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expected nearly everyone to have it restored by Tuesday night and directed all schools to reopen Wednesday.
Drier weather is expected over the next few days across areas of the mid-Atlantic down through the Southeast, including the southern Appalachians.
It will feel “a little summerish” in some of those areas with higher than normal temperatures this week, Orrison said.
Silva Rey reported from Puerto Vallarta and Ding from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Laura Turbay contributed from Little Rock, Arkansas, and Julie Walker from New York.
Waves from post-tropical cyclone Rachel crash into beachfront homes in Long Beach, Calif., Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Islam Mahfuz salvages contents of their destroyed mini mart in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
People walk on the beach after the passing of Hurricane Simon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Waves from post-tropical cyclone Rachel crash into beachfront homes in Long Beach, Calif., Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A National Guard stands in the spray as a wave hits the seawall brought by the approaching Hurricane Simon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A jogger passes a boarded up store after the passing of Hurricane Simon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
An apartment complex which had its roof ripped off is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias in Milton, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Waves hit a walkway in front of homes in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, as Tropical Storm Rachel approaches. (AP Photo/William Liang)
