Dansby Swanson signed with the Chicago Cubs in December, landing in the same city where his wife Mallory Swanson plays for the Chicago Red Stars.
But the shortstop said that even if he’d signed with a different team, the NWSL was open to moving the U.S. national team star to ensure the couple played in the same city.
The Cubs handed Swanson a seven-year, $177 million contract to land him as a free agent from the Atlanta Braves. After years in a long-distance relationship, the couple, who were married in December, were finally together in the same city.
In an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Swanson said that the NWSL was open to moving his wife away from the Red Stars had he signed with a team other than the Cubs.
“This is technically her last season in Chicago,’’ Swanson said, “but the [NWSL] pretty much made a promise that they would do right by her. Say I had signed with the Dodgers, they would have traded her to a team that’s in Los Angeles. They were very open to that. And since I’m in Chicago now, I think they’re going to be OK keeping her around.’’
That is unfortunate news for Angel City FC, who could’ve landed one of the most in-form players in the world had the Dodgers pushed harder to sign her husband.
Dansby Swanson admitted that both he and his wife were unsure if they wanted to continue their careers in Chicago, but ultimately came around to the idea.
“It’s funny like before Chicago, we were both kind of like I don’t know,’’ he said. “She said, ‘I don’t know if I want to there.’ I said, ‘I don’t know if I want to be there.’ But the more we prayed about it was like, ‘Chicago is where we’re supposed to be.’ Looking back, things just started falling to place than makes a lot of sense now.’’
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