Tierna Davidson

Defender • Age 28 • #15

Tierna Lillis Davidson is an American professional football player who plays as a center back for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the United States national team.

203 Appearances

10 Goals

12 Trophies

1 Awards

Fun Facts about Tierna

Quirky facts. Inspired by her game.

She married her former Stanford teammate, Alison Jahansouz, in December 2024.

She was the youngest player on the U.S. roster at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

She suffered two ACL injuries in just three years (2022 and 2025), both of which caused her to miss entire NWSL seasons.

She was named captain of NJ/NY Gotham FC ahead of the 2025 season—showing her leadership and respect from teammates.

She became the second consecutive Stanford player to be drafted #1 overall in the NWSL Draft (after Andi Sullivan).

To manage nerves and self-doubt, she utilizes reading, movies, and self-affirmation, while maintaining a strict sleep schedule to keep in top form.

She prioritizes sleep for recovery, avoids caffeine, and listens to calming music or counts in her head when struggling to sleep.

While traveling, she misses her family, dogs, and her partner's cooking.

She started playing soccer at age 2, kicking a ball around with her older brother Rory.

She once dreamed of becoming an astronaut—not just as a childhood fantasy, but as a serious career goal. She even planned to take flying lessons and attend a military academy, such as the Naval Academy or West Point, to help make that dream a reality.

Her journey took a major turn when she was encouraged by her club coach to consider Stanford University—not just for soccer, but also for its strong engineering program. At first, Davidson didn’t believe she had a chance of playing there.

She grew up watching Kelley O’Hara and Christen Press play for Stanford, just ten minutes from her hometown of Menlo Park, California. They were her role models, and later, her teammates on the U.S. National Team.