Gotham FC and U.S. women’s national team defender Tierna Davidson left Friday’s match against the Houston Dash with an apparent leg injury.
The 26-year-old was working to close down her former teammate, Yazmeen Ryan, and planted her left leg awkwardly while running toward the end line. There was no contact on the play. She fell, immediately holding her left knee and looking visibly upset. Davidson slammed her hand on the ground a few times and was consoled by goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger before eventually leaving the field.
The extent of Davidson’s injury remains unclear, however, a Gotham spokesperson said she will be evaluated when the team returns to New Jersey.
Davidson walked off the pitch with limited support from trainers and her teammates. On the sideline, Gotham’s assistant goalkeeper coach Michelle Betos, who was a player on the squad last year, gave Davidson a long hug before the defender headed into the locker room.
Defender Mandy Freeman entered the pitch for Davidson in the 44th minute, taking the captain’s armband left behind by Davidson.
In 2022, the U.S. defender tore the ACL in her right knee while with the Chicago Red Stars and missed the remainder of that season. Before that, in 2018, she fractured her ankle while playing for Stanford.
The scenes in Houston were concerning for Davidson and Gotham, who were vying for their first win of the season.
Davidson was named to Emma Hayes’ 24-player USWNT roster for the team’s upcoming friendlies against Brazil in California next week.
Tierna Davidson was called up to the U.S. roster for friendlies against Brazil. (Patricia De Melo Moreira / Getty Images)
What does this mean for USWNT?
In the short term, it feels fair to expect Hayes to replace Davidson for the two upcoming matches against Brazil. The U.S. head coach has continued to explore the depth at center back, especially with Naomi Girma missing the first part of the year with a calf injury. With Girma’s place as the team’s leading starting center back cemented and 2025 serving as an extended evaluation period without a major tournament for the USWNT, Davidson’s injury is a tough blow for her as she looked to make her case to join Girma as a consistent starter.
Timing is a potential silver lining, however, with 2025 only the start of the World Cup and Olympic cycle. If it is the worst-case scenario, Davidson would have a bit more runway ahead of World Cup qualifiers next summer, and plenty of time ahead of the 2027 tournament to work her way back into contention.
Still, Davidson’s absence would be unfortunate for the U.S. considering her quiet leadership and thoughtfulness. Davidson also has proven to be one of the new voices for the team off the field, having just been elected as president of the USWNT Players Association.
(Top photo: Jay Biggerstaff / Imagn Images)