Mallory Swanson being carted off the field on Saturday. (USA TODAY Photo)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

Everything is pointing toward Mallory Swanson not competing in the Women’s World Cup this summer after suffering a torn patella tendon in her left knee on Saturday.

Recovery from such injuries usually takes a minimum of six months.

U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski, however, wouldn’t say if the star striker has a chance of making a miracle return to the World Cup.

During a Monday press briefing, Andonovski said that Swanson “has things planned right away in terms of the timeline of how everything is going to play out for her from the rehab and medical side.”

Swanson suffered her injury late in the first half of the USA’s 2-0 international friendly win over the Republic of Ireland in Austin, Texas on Saturday. The Americans will host Ireland again in St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Andonovski said that Swanson was mentally “doing better than I thought.”

Whether he will be able to say that about his team is another matter. Swanson is the team’s leading goal-scorer this year with six.

“It is a challenge,” Andonovski said. “I can sit here and say, ‘Oh no we’re great’ – no, she’s a great player. You don’t replace Mallory that easily. We all know that.

“We can’t go around it. We just have to face it straight up, and we’re ready for it. In some ways, we were preparing certain players for moments like this. And we think that we will have a good answer.”

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.