US women's soccer lost its top scorer to injury after a controversial decision, and now she's out for the World Cup

• Mallory Swanson tore the patellar tendon in her left knee during a friendly match against Ireland.
• She suffered an apparent head injury earlier in the half, but was controversially allowed to return.

Mallory Swanson — formerly Mal Pugh — has been sensational for the US Women's National Team in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup.

But now, thanks to a brutal knee injury sustained during the Stars and Stripes' first of two friendly matches against Ireland, the superstar forward and the team's leading scorer looks all but certain to miss this summer's tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

And it's up for debate whether she should've been on the field in the first place.

Just days before Saturday's game, Swanson took a shot to the face when a teammate accidentally kicked a ball her way during training. She had been "receiving treatment" throughout the week after she wound up with "a black eye and some bruising on her face," according to The Athletic's Meg Linehan.

Though Swanson told Linehan the injury looked worse than it felt, it's safe to assume her head was a bit more sensitive heading into Saturday's contest than it would have been otherwise. So there was added concern when, in the 25th minute of the contest, the 24-year-old slammed head-first into the opposing goalkeeper's outstretched leg.

Swanson lay face-down on the turf for several minutes as medical staff rushed onto the field and gave her an evaluation. She looked shaken as she walked to the bench under her own power, so it came as a surprise to many fans when she checked back into the game shortly thereafter.

But disaster struck mere moments before the referees could blow the halftime whistle. While she approached a 50-50 ball with one of Ireland's players coming in for the tackle, Swanson planted her left foot and appeared to instantly scream in agony.

She pulled back from the imminent collision and collapsed to the ground, grabbing at her knee as she fell. For the second time in the half, medical staff rushed to her side; this time, however, they almost instantly got to work stabilizing her leg.

Swanson left the field on a stretcher several minutes later. She waved to the crowd and made a heart with her hands as the cart transporting her pulled away. And by the time the second half was underway, the commentators announced that the Colorado native had left the arena to undergo further medical evaluation at a nearby hopsital.

The following day, US Soccer announced that Swanson had been diagnosed with a tear in the patellar tendon of her left knee. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, total recovery from such an injury typically takes six months, while many patients report needing a full year to reach their goals.

The World Cup kicks off in three months.

While the knee injury was unrelated to Swanson's previous pair of knocks to her head, fans questioned whether the star should've been allowed to return to the game following her early collision with Ireland's goalie. Even if the prolific goal scorer — who had already netted a team-leading seven goals through six games on the season — was not exhibiting symptoms of a concussion, why would the coaching staff risk further damage in a game that has little consequence?

"Obviously, with this game being so close to the World Cup, we didn't want to take any chance," USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the game. "If there was any slight chance that she should've 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," he added.

If Andonovski and his staff view the decision to allow Swanson to return as a mistake, then it appears they've learned from it. The coach revealed Monday that star midfielder Rose Lavelle picked up a "little knock" during Saturday's contest and, out of an abundance of caution, would not be dressing for Tuesday's contest.

"Even though Rose wasn't happy with decision, we think it's a good opportunity to see other players and at the same time, be very safe with Rose," Andonovski said.

"This is not a moment for us to take any chances," he added.

The reigning World Cup champs will once again face Ireland — this time in St. Louis, Missouri — Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in to HBO Max, Universo, or Peacock to watch how the USWNT fares without Swanson.