Boy, when it rains, it pours—and who better to exemplify this than NJ/NY Gotham FC? Already off to a rough start with two draws and a defeat, the NWSL side has now been hit with yet another setback. The latest blow comes in the form of Tierna Davidson‘s unfortunate injury, ruling the center-back out for the rest of the season. This development not only deepens Gotham’s struggles but also aggravates the USWNT’s defensive woes, making things even tougher for Emma Hayes.

Having been forced to remove the defender from the upcoming April camp, one thought things were set to be minor for Davidson. However, the exact opposite seems to have prevailed as the 26-year-old is rather out for the whole year. Tierna was forced off the pitch 44 minutes into the action, having sustained a knock during the last NWSL game against Houston Dash.

However, following significant tests, it turns out that she has sustained an ACL blow. This has forced Gotham to place the highly rated center back on a season-ending injury list. While it surely wasn’t the outcome that anyone was hoping for, Davidson decided to personally address the situation among her fans. Taking to Instagram by posting a couple of pictures, she wrote a lengthy caption that began, “In: Matching scars. Out: my left ACL.”

“In all seriousness, I feel so fortunate to have the support of my family, teammates and club throughout this process. The beauty of life is its unpredictable nature. While I’ve found myself on the adverse side of this unpredictability at the moment, I know this experience will be another colorful chapter of my journey. I have no doubt this year will bring me unexpected joys despite this setback,” she wrote.

Even though Davidson’s hopes and expectations for the 2025 campaign have thinned, she is trying to keep an optimistic approach. Having made 22 appearances in her debut 2024 NWSL season, Tierna was expected to play a key role in this campaign. Having made three starts so far, she was even voted as the club captain by her fellow teammates before the season began.

However, we are already seeing the former Stanford get sidelined for a lengthy period. For now, she must have begun her road to recovery, as one can only at least hope for the defender to make a quick return to action. In the meantime, the focus rather shifted towards Emma Hayes, as the situation seems to have only worsened for her!

Emma Hayes dealt with more depth problems

The English tactician recently underscored one of the biggest challenges she faces when selecting her roster. She emphasized the need to add more depth in certain areas of the squad, particularly the defensive line. “It’s fair to say in both fullback positions, we will be looking at depth in those areas,” said Hayes in an interview with The Attacking Third during her appearance at BMO Stadium to witness Angel City vs Seattle Reign.

Not to mention Naomi Girma’s injury-related absence wasn’t already a concern for the USWNT. Now, they ended up suffering another setback with Tierna Davidson. This only reinforces the exact depth issue Hayes has been trying to address. Clearly, she is now left with little choice to comprise for the upcoming window. “I feel in the center-back position, we’ve got a real sense of the depth there,” said Hayes while revealing how they have been looking to add more CB to the team.

For now, Hayes has decided to replace Tierna with Gisele Thompson for the upcoming matches against Brazil. She is a replacement who hardly plays that position. However, the genius Hayes would be looking to make something work at least for this window. In the meantime, we wish a speedy recovery to Davidson.