Mallory Swanson hopes opening win at Olympics is the first of many

After all that Mallory Swanson went through last year, she's grateful to be in France for the Olympics. She also plans to shake things up for the U.S. team.

So far she's on track: She scored two goals in the Americans' Olympic opener, a 3-0 victory over Zambia.

Swanson was the team's leading scorer with seven goals in six games to start last year when she injured her knee in a friendly match against Ireland in the run-up to the Women's World Cup. The injury to her patella tendon required surgery and a long recovery process. It also kept her off the World Cup roster.

As the team drove to the stadium in Nice for the Zambia game, the 26-year-old Swanson reflected on her recovery.

"To be a part of this group and have all these girls and coaches and staff around me, supporting me and just to be able to support each other to try to achieve something — I'm just super grateful now," she said ahead of the team's game against Germany on Sunday in Marseille.

The U.S. staff was cautious with Swanson's recovery. She trained with the team — but did not play — earlier this year during the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup. She returned to the team on the field at the SheBelieves Cup in April.

Swanson has a key role in the U.S. attack under new coach Emma Hayes, the former Chelsea manager who replaced Vlatko Andonovski after the Americans' disappointing finish at the World Cup.

Swanson is part of a dynamic group of forwards, with Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman. The trio have formed good chemistry.

"We're all really starting to come around to the way Emma has wanted us to play, the principles," Swanson said. "It's been really enjoyable, just being able to learn different things and trying to apply them. ... The group that we have is super