Loss of striker leaves U.S. women's team pondering options at left wing

Swanson's injury is devastating for the USWNT and begs the question: Who will start on the left wing in her absence? With several talented young forwards in the mix, coach Vlatko Andonovski has a big call to make before the World Cup kicks off in July. 

Initial signs pointed to him choosing Portland Thorns star Sophia Smith.

"We allowed Soph to go on the left where she also feels very comfortable," Andonovski told The Athletic on Saturday after Swanson's injury. "We saw that in her last game for her club team she scored the two goals coming from the left to the right, and we saw how dangerous she can be in that area as well. There is a good connection between Crystal (Dunn), Lindsay (Horan), Rose (Lavelle) and Soph on that side."

But in the rematch Tuesday, Andonovski chose 18-year-old star Alyssa Thompson instead and the Angel City forward sparkled in her USWNT debut. She took Swanson's left-sided position while Smith folded back into her traditional place on the right, both flanking star Alex Morgan in the middle.

"We believe Alyssa has the ability to play against teams like Ireland who are in a low block," Andonovski explained, per The Athletic. "She has the ability to turn in small areas that not many players have. And it's not just turn, but she accelerates with the ball and runs at defenses with confidence."

Thompson and Smith both looked comfortable in Tuesday's Ireland fixture, but the USWNT's breakthrough wound up coming from an unexpected place. Defender Alana Cook scored a gorgeous, long-range goal in the 43rd minute after finding a pocket of space on the left flank.

But the USWNT cannot rely upon defensive wonder strikes in the World Cup. With less than 100 days remaining until their opening fixture, Andonovski and the team must coalesce around a new forward lineup — one that likely won't involve Swanson, although the team refuses to rule her out for now.

"She [Swanson] has things planned right away in terms of how everything is going to play out for her from the rehab and medical side of it," Andonovski said. "So she's in a good place — as good as she can be in this moment."