The U.S. women’s national team added two more puzzle pieces in advance of an unusual three-game friendly set against Japan with the return of Sophia Wilson and Tierna Davidson. As the team prepares for World Cup qualifying at the end of this year, there’s still one more prominent name who hasn’t made a comeback: Mallory Swanson.
The Chicago Stars have said they expect Swanson back this season. At NWSL media days before the start of the season Swanson herself said she hadn’t quite progressed to the point where she was on the field, but she was hoping to be back soon.
However, two-thirds of Triple Espresso will likely be on display at some point during the Japan series. Wilson spoke on a Zoom call with reporters last week, where she talked about taking on a “goldfish mentality” and even addressed her famous bubble braid.
Wilson is discovering what all working mothers of young children inevitably seek to achieve: Balance.
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“I think that’s probably something that every athlete who’s coming back from pregnancy and becoming a mom has to kind of figure out for themselves, what that balance looks like,” she said. “I think for me, I knew from the time I got pregnant that I was going to be very patient with myself through the whole process, even during pregnancy. And then obviously, knowing that getting back to playing at a high level, it’s not just a straight path. It’s not going to happen with the snap of my fingers. A lot of work went into it behind the scenes a lot of people didn’t see, and a lot of work is still going into it.
“I think for me, it’s just being gracious with myself, and going into it with the perspective of, look at what my body has done for me and what it’s still continuing to do for me, and knowing that it is very possible to be great at both things, be a great mom, be a great athlete.”
Wilson shouted out the mothers who inspired her, including Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn and Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby. Obviously one her close friends is Swanson, and the two chat often.
Thanks in part to Morgan and Dunn, the national team has been supportive to moms. Morgan’s daughter Charlie and Dunn’s son Marcel both made appearances at the 2023 World Cup. Casey Krueger’s son accompanied his mom to the mixed zone following the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics.
Wilson is still nursing, which makes striking that balance even more complicated. Wherever she goes, Gigi goes. But she has husband Michael Wilson to help, and they have a nanny.
Dunn once told me that having Marcel gave her a new perspective: If she had a bad game it faded away the moment she came home and he ran into her arms.
Echoing Dunn, Wilson said part of being a professional athlete is having a “goldfish mentality” and having Gigi has amplified it. The idea was made popular because of Ted Lasso, but basically it’s that goldfish have short memories. So be a goldfish.
“I feel like my perspective on just life in general has shifted a lot. I think in all the best ways, I feel more grounded, I feel more present. And I think that’s how I view the game as well,” Wilson said. “I’m trying to approach it with — I always have, but I think more than ever — a goldfish mentality. It’s just be present in whatever practice, whatever game I’m in, and then it’s on to the next. Take what I need and what I want to learn from, but leave the rest behind.”
As a mom, she’s learning to let go of the things she can’t control.
“Gigi is growing up quick, and I think I realized that my career is going by and while I’m still in the prime years of my career, I want to enjoy it all. You can’t play soccer forever, unfortunately. So just being present, I think more than anything, is what I’m trying to do and take from being a mom now,” she said.
As for the bubble braid, being a mom has also shifted Wilson’s game-day hair. Now it’s the low bun. Why? Because it’s easier when Gigi’s around.
You can read my story for the AP here.
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