The atmosphere in the United States women’s national soccer team camp in São Paulo carried a lighthearted mix of playful banter and bittersweet emotion this week, as three of the team’s most dynamic offensive stars reunited for the first time since their 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal run. Mallory Swanson and Sophia Wilson, who both recently welcomed infant daughters after taking maternity leave, opened up about the difficult transition of stepping away from their babies for the first time to compete in two upcoming friendly matches against Brazil – prompting a playful reaction from their longtime teammate Trinity Rodman.
As the pair reflected on missing their young daughters, Rodman leaned across their laps with a grin and joked, “I’ll be your guys’ baby!” The light moment capped off an emotional week for the trio, collectively nicknamed “Triple Espresso” by adoring USWNT fans, who have not shared the pitch together since they lifted Olympic gold in Paris.
Swanson, who notched the game-winning goal against Brazil in that Olympic gold medal match, is making her first return to the USWNT roster since October 2024. She welcomed her daughter in November and stepped away from the team to focus on parenthood. Wilson similarly stepped away after the Paris Games, welcoming her daughter last September and rejoining the national squad for the first time in April. This two-match friendly series marks the first time the two new mothers have traveled for competition without their infants.
Wilson, speaking to reporters via a joint video call from São Paulo, opened up about the emotional adjustment of being apart from her daughter, who is nine months old, while Swanson’s daughter is six months old. “It’s definitely an adjustment, because I know Mal and I have spent like every waking moment for the last six and nine months with our babies, so it’s definitely hard to be away from them,” she said Wednesday, her voice catching with emotion. “It’s definitely the unoccupied hours when it gets tough. But their dads are getting very good quality time with them, and they’re loved and well taken care of.”
Beyond their chemistry on the pitch, Rodman said she has missed having the pair in the team’s camp off the field. “I’m very excited to have them back, especially off the field. Their personalities are amazing to have in camp, and just having my sisters back is amazing. And then, on the field, I just feel like our connection is so good,” she said.
The trio’s dominance at the 2024 Olympics is impossible to ignore: combined, the three forwards accounted for 10 of the USWNT’s 12 total goals across the entire Paris tournament, powering the team to its fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
The upcoming matches will kick off Saturday in São Paulo, before a second fixture Tuesday in Fortaleza. Both host cities are set to welcome matches for the 2025 Women’s World Cup, giving the USWNT critical early experience on the fields they could compete on later next year. For the USWNT, the friendly series comes as the team prepares to begin its qualification campaign for the 2025 tournament at the CONCACAF W Championship, kicking off in late November.