Where there's a Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson you maintain hope there is a way

Either her daughter Gigi is sleeping through the night, or Sophia Wilson handles sleep deprivation far better than the average mother.

She's one year postpartum, and there's no sign of back spasms from holding your child as they monkey climb up the side of your body or knee twinges from your body relearning how to carry itself postpartum. I'm looking at a mother who has apparently found a loophole in motherhood where you can function at peak strength and mental sharpness and, at the end of 90 minutes, pick up your child and walk off the field smiling.

One year may seem like a sizeable period of time, but in the postpartum world, best-case scenario, your hormone roller coaster has only just cooled it with the loop-de-loops and leveled out on a flat track, and you're re-figuring out who you are and what you're capable of.

But when I look at Sophia Wilson, I don't see a mom figuring it out. I see a shoo-in for the World Cup roster, creating her own scoring opportunities, smart in her decision-making, precise in her execution, causing significant problems for the world's No. 1 Spanish back line, and she also happens to be a mother with a one-year-old baby.

Mamma Mallory Swanson is the hero of Game 2

If Josie Swanson wasn't conked out for bedtime and had any idea who her mom is beyond her personal life source and safe space, she'd have watched the game-winning goal and swelled with pride as she babbled to her baby friends, "That's my mamma!"

Mallory Swanson's return-to-play timeline lags a couple of months behind Sophia Wilson's, and she's still navigating her way back to peak form. But as the 12th mother to score for the USWNT, she has ensured her name stays at the heart of World Cup roster conversations. After all, single or double espresso doesn't have the same allure. It's triple espresso or bust.

Game 2 against Spain gave Mallory Swanson her "Remember me? I'm back" moment. The pop-up touch to set up the volley, the clinical finish... it all looked so effortless, like a forward who's been there a thousand times before.

A part of me thinks, how dare you show that kind of physical prowess and mental clarity when I'm over here throwing out my hip rushing my toddler to the bathroom, and dozing off reading board books in the middle of the day because my baby thinks cribs and sleep are optional and mommy's arms are mandatory. But the other, much larger part of me, says congratulations on being phenomenal. May more mothers have the opportunity to showcase their postpartum strengths the way you two have.

Now, if you asked Sophia Wilson or Mallory Swanson about the nitty-gritty of their day-to-day lives, I'm sure some form of motherhood related exhaustion would rather quickly work its way into the conversation. After all, they're human, and their babies are well... babies. But along the way, the sleepless nights and profound love have shaped them into a new type of World Cup-caliber player.

One whose talent remains unchanged but whose capacity for perseverance and understanding of the power of teamwork make them a new kind of dangerous. One who cares deeply about the game, but can also walk away at the end of it to the outstretched arms of a tiny human being and realize they've had a healthy shift in priorities that allows them to learn from, but not dwell on, their mistakes.

The USWNT's performance throughout the October friendlies, though not alarming, left a few concerns that need addressing. And yet, thanks to Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson, I came out the other side feeling privileged. Privileged to have been a witness to two games, two moms, two multidimensional women getting it done.

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