PRONUNCIATION
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2017 (Columbus): Swanson did not make an appearance for Crew SC this season. While on loan with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds he made three appearances (two starts). He came on as a substitute against the New York Red Bulls II (March 25). Swanson made consecutive starts in a home contest against FC Cincinnati (April 1) and a road contest against the Charleston Battery (April 8). He had successful ankle surgery and was added to the Season-Ending Injury List on April 20, 2017. He missed the rest of the 2017 MLS season. Swanson was added to the Season-Ending Injury List on April 20, 2017 and missed the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs.
2016 (Columbus/Pittsburgh): Swanson made one appearance for Crew SC in 2016. He was loaned to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL) on March 17 and made his debut for the team against Toronto FC II (April 17), playing 48 minutes. He notched his second appearance for Pittsburgh by starting at Charleston (April 30) and made his third appearance with a substitute nod against New York Red Bulls II (May 7). Swanson played 45 minutes with Crew SC during a substitute appearance in the international friendly against Veracruz (May 11) and then made his MLS and Crew SC matchday 18 debut against Real Salt Lake (May 28). He came on for his MLS debut at Philadelphia (June 1), playing 16 minutes at central midfield. After that contest, he missed the matches against Montreal (June 18) and New York (June 25) after being listed as out. He returned to action by appearing for Pittsburgh as a substitute at Bethlehem (July 10) and vs. Harrisburg (July 17) but was then placed on the Season-ending Injury List on July 29 following shoulder surgery. He did not make an appearance in the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
2015 (Columbus): Swanson did not make a First-Team appearance during his rookie year in 2015. He missed the match against Philadelphia (April 25) while on international duty with the United States Under-18 National Team, starting for the side in three friendlies. After returning, he came on at halftime in Crew SC's international friendly vs. Valencia CF (May 27). He earned a call-up to participate in United States U-18 camp from July 6-14. A Homegrown Player, Swanson was named to the 2015 MLS Homegrown Team and played 45 minutes against Club America’s Under-20 squad at the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game (July 28). He earned another international call-up, this time by the United States U-20 side for the first time, ahead of a training camp in Serbia, missing Crew SC’s match against FC Dallas (September 6) while at the camp. Swanson was in the matchday 18 for the club's 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 contest at Orlando (June 30), but he did not make an appearance in the tournament.
2014 (Columbus): Signed as a Homegrown Player on October 16, 2014 and was officially added to the roster on January 1, 2015.
YOUTH EXPERIENCE
Swanson began his youth soccer career at the Grove City Soccer Program from age six to eight. At eight-years-old, Swanson tried out for Crew Juniors in spring 2006 en route to becoming the longest tenured player in the Crew Youth programs. He split time as a young player between Crew Juniors and the elite youth club Team Ohio before graduating to the Crew Soccer Academy in 2010. Swanson featured for the U-15/16 and U-17/18 Crew Soccer Academy teams that participate in U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program, earning an invitation to U.S. Soccer’s Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida in 2012 and multiple call-ups to U.S. Soccer’s youth national teams.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
As of September 10, 2015
As one of Crew SC Player Development's most high profile and successful players ever, Swanson particularly received exposure at the international level. As a consensus top-five recruit in the high school class of 2016, the 17-year-old has represented United States' youth teams on several occasions, including wearing the captain's armband for the U-18 team in a friendly against Canada in April at the National Training Center in Carson, California.
In 2014, Swanson was called-in for U-18 National Team duty for both the 20th Lisbon International Tournament in Lisbon, Portugal and for the 21st International Tournament of Vaclav Jezek in Zlin, Czech Republic. Swanson was an active contributor in both tournaments, including receiving a starting nod in the championship match of the Vaclav Jezek Tournament against Ukraine, helping the United States on to a 1-0 win and the tournament title. The Vaclav Jezek Tournament represented the 26th all-time international call-up for Swanson across all levels. Swanson was again called-in to the U-18 National Team for a camp in Marbella, Spain from December 11-20, 2014. He captained the side en route to a 2-1 victory over Germany's U-18s (December 17).
In 2015, he received a call-up to the U-18s first camp of the year with an invitation to join the team in Bosnia & Herzegovina for a nine-day camp, running from April 22 - May 1. He started three friendlies for the U.S. U-18s over the span. Additionally, he earned an invitation to the squad's first domestic training camp of the year, from July 6-14, including participation in the 2015 NTC Invitational Tournament.
Swanson received his first-ever call-up by the U.S. U-20s on August 28, 2015 ahead of a training camp in Serbia. He earned his first cap for the side with a start in a friendly against Serbia (September 3). He made a substitute appearance in a second friendly against France (September 4).
Swanson was signed as a Homegrown Player on October 16, 2014. He was officially added to the roster on January 1, 2015.
PERSONAL
Swanson is the son of Marty and Beth Swanson. He has a younger brother, Sam, who plays ice hockey at a boarding school in Massachusetts. Growing up, he was a fan of Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Internationally, he supports Manchester United and lists Wesley Sneijder, Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie as his favorite players to watch. His favorite music genre is hip-hop, listing Drake as his favorite artist. Swanson also enjoys playing the guitar in his spare time. His favorite movie is The Sandlot and he has recently been watching The Walking Dead. Away from soccer, he enjoys hanging out with his friends, attending Blue Jackets games or eating at one of his favorite restaurants, Boston's in the Arena District. If he were not a professional soccer player, he would have liked to pursue an occupation where he could work with kids, such as being a teacher.
