Tierna Davidson will be putting down roots in New Jersey while also playing in the homecoming game in the Bay Area.
Davidson, a Menlo Park, Calif., native and Stanford University graduate, will return to his old club on Friday night (10 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video) when Gotham FC, which is unbeaten in its past five games with four wins, two losses and three draws and has a playoff spot in the NWSL standings, visits newcomers Bay FC.
“It feels really good to play in a place that I’m familiar with. I’ve played in that stadium before. [PayPal Park in San Jose] “It’s a great thing for this whole region,” Davidson said Thursday. “I grew up here and I’ve watched a lot of football games, so to be able to be out there on the field and be a player for the kids to look forward to and to be able to bring that to the Bay Area, I’m really excited.”
The 25-year-old Davidson signed a three-year contract as part of Gotham’s offseason free-agent boom and quickly emerged as a key component of the defending champions’ league-best defense (allowing just seven goals, an average of 0.78 per game).
She returned last weekend after missing nearly a month with a hamstring strain.
While she was pending a decision, she and her partner signed a contract on a new home in New Jersey and moved there. “It was so nice to feel like we really made New Jersey our home and that it felt forever,” she said.
Davidson also got to observe that Gotham’s defense, with his friend Sam Hiatt at center back and new signing Ann-Katrin Berger in goalkeeper, was functioning almost flawlessly.
“It’s been fun to see our backline starting to turn into a really good unit,” Davidson said. “Especially with Ann joining while I was injured and it’s been really beneficial to see her tendencies and see how the back five and back six, including our defensive midfielder, work together and understand those tendencies.”
Bay FC (3-7-0) is at the other end of the spectrum, having allowed a league-high 21 goals.
Davidson’s job will be to prepare for a talented offensive line on the first-year team that includes NWSL newcomers Asisato Oshoala, Rachel Kundanange and Dayna Castellanos (three goals each).
“They have great offensive talent on their team and a lot of guys that we’ve never seen before in this league,” Davidson said. “That’s always that mystery element that you have to really pay attention to.”
Davidson will also be an integral part of the U.S. Women’s National Team, which will play its first matches under new head coach Emma Hayes on June 1 and 4.
The two friendlies against South Korea are warm-ups ahead of the Olympic Games starting in late July and Davidson said he is trying not to put off making the 22-man roster. They also represent the first chance for Hayes, the multi-decorated former manager of England’s Chelsea women’s team, to make her mark on the team.
“From what I’ve heard from the players and seeing the success she’s had at Chelsea, I’m really excited to see what she’s like as a manager and coach and I’m really looking forward to learning from her and her staff,” Davidson said.
