How Riley Tiernan's close relationship with her sister helped the NWSL rookie find success early

New York Times

23-05-2025

Angel City FC forward Riley Tiernan was exactly where she needed to be when her teammate Claire Emslie crossed the ball into the goalkeeper's box.
The 22-year-old rookie headed the ball into the net for the game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Seattle Reign, her first in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
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'That was the only header goal I've ever scored,' Tiernan told The Athletic on Wednesday over Zoom. 'For it to be in front of all our fans at home, and against Reign, and it was the one that put us in the lead — I was, like, in shock. I don't even really remember what happened.'
That was the moment, Tiernan said, she felt welcomed into the NWSL.
Since her debut goal, Tiernan has become one of the most-talked-about rookies in the league. Her five goals put her in a four-way tie for the second-most goals this season, and she has been called up to the U-23 U.S. women's national team camp in Germany next week.
The New Jersey native spent four years at Rutgers University and was named the 2021 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and, by graduation, set the all-time assists record for the Scarlet Knights (34).
Tiernan's ability to quickly adapt to new environments is what makes her a lethal player, her college coach, Mike O'Neill, said.
'Riley is the type of player that you love to coach, and you don't like to coach against her,' said O'Neill, the longtime head coach of Rutgers women's soccer. 'Just seeing how competitive she was and the edge that she had to be the best player that she could be, she has always been a leader from the day she set foot on campus.'
But one game stands out.
In late November 2021, Rutgers defeated Arkansas in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA women's tournament to reach the College Cup for the second time in program history. Tiernan, then a 19-year-old freshman, opened scoring for the Knights two minutes in and later scored the game-winning kick in a penalty shootout.
'The bigger the game, the better the player and that's Riley Tiernan,' O'Neill said.
The pressure, Tiernan said, forces her to improve.
'Being uncomfortable makes me a better player,' Tiernan said, 'The one thing that's gotten me through my freshman year and this year so far is confidence. That's one of my strengths: remaining confident, even in tough environments.'
Playing in the NWSL has been a lifelong goal, inspired by her older sister Madison, who played at Rutgers and later signed with Sky Blue FC.
'It was my dream since I was a little girl,' Tiernan said. 'I grew up watching my sister play, and seeing her play made me want it that much more.'
The sisters, 22 and 29, talk every day, making sure to FaceTime so Riley can still see her nine-month-old nephew, Grady, despite being 3,000 miles apart. When Grady sees Riley, his face 'lights up,' his mother said.
'Me and my sister are really close, and I think that's the main foundation of who I am as a player,' Riley said.
Riley also has the tenacity to want to improve, Madison said, and the athleticism to match those aspirations. Madison remembered one summer when Riley decided she would learn how to do a backflip. She'd be in the yard every day, until her family looked out the window to see her whirling in the air.
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The sisters also have a middle brother, but, based on Riley's logic, sharing a bedroom made the sisters closer. 'It was a purple bedroom because she was obsessed with Justin Bieber, so I was obsessed with Justin Bieber,' Riley said, with a laugh. 'That was pretty much how everything went. I stole her clothes. I was a mini copycat.
'I luckily copied her soccer skills as well.'
'Being eight years apart, we've kind of gone through the stages of life in such different time periods,' said Madison, 'but now, her being in her 20s, we've gotten so much closer. … She's my built-in best friend. When I was 16, I thought she was annoying, but now, I couldn't be more proud of her.'
That admiration is mutual.
'It's not a luxury that a lot of people have,' Riley said. 'To be able to watch her go throughout all these high-level stages of her life, and to be able to watch it and be surrounded by that environment, I think it just motivated me. Having her be there for me mentally, physically, training me, teaching me, telling me everything that I need to know, to prepare me, was the most helpful thing.'
Riley committed to play for Rutgers as an eighth-grader on Madison's senior day, usually the last home game for a team's graduating class. In college, Riley wore the No 73 — a homage to her sister's birthday, July 3. The sisters' relationship evolved again when Madison became one of Riley's coaches at Rutgers, where Madison remains on staff as an assistant coach.
The coaching part of their relationship persists today, with Madison checking in after most trainings.
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'The beauty of sport is you can never be complacent,' Madison said. 'She has a lot of hype, and that brings another set of expectations and pressure. But I tell her, get better at one thing, and that's going to continue to add to your toolbox and make you a better player.'
The path to the NWSL wasn't as clear-cut for Riley as it had been for Madison, who was the 24th pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. The draft was nixed last year, and Riley was among the first college graduates to navigate entering the league without it.
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'It was a little different experience for me,' the younger Tiernan said. 'There were a couple of things that happened that caused a little bit of a scramble for me.'
It helped having an older sister who understood the NWSL. Madison reached out to folks she knew, including Becki Tweed, the head coach at Angel City. When Tweed and the club parted ways, Madison stayed in touch with the club.
'I did everything I could to help her get there because I knew she was doing everything behind the scenes to be ready for that level,' Madison said.
Tiernan would eventually receive invitations for preseason training with Angel City and another club, but she said she felt a pull to Angel City. She was named to the team's 2025 preseason roster as a trialist and played significant minutes at the Coachella Valley Invitational in February. Angel City signed Tiernan in March to a two-year contract through 2026, with a club option through 2027.
She remembers one of their coaches telling her that the club's sporting director, Mark Parsons, wanted to speak with her.
'I was trying not to cry, honestly,' Tiernan said. 'I texted the family group chat immediately, and I was like, 'O-M-G, I just got a contract.''
Tiernan scored her first brace against the Washington Spirit in a 4-3 win at Audi Field earlier this month. She said it was her second 'Welcome to the NWSL' moment. That day, a 'family caravan' of about 30 to 40 people traveled to D.C. from New Jersey to watch her play.
Tiernan has worked her way into the starting lineup for Angel City, which sits seventh in league standings. The team faces Racing Louisville at home on Saturday.
She's tied with some of the biggest names in the NWSL in the Golden Boot race – Kansas City Current's Temwa Chawinga and Debinha, and Spirit's Ashley Hatch — two goals shy of Gotham FC's Esther Gonzalez.
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Off the pitch, Tiernan is feeling at home in Los Angeles. 'I feel like I was made to live here,' she said. She's playing alongside some of the most promising stars in American soccer, like sisters Alyssa and Giselle Thompson. She's also learning from players she grew up idolizing, like Sydney Leroux, who she said, 'took me under her wing, which I really needed.'
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'I have so much to learn, and I'm just trying to be like a sponge and absorb everything,' Tiernan said.
For now, her focus is on Angel City and then preparing for the U-23 camp later this month.
'Hopefully something good comes of it, and I perform and other opportunities will come from that,' Tiernan said. 'But, right now my main focus is just being where my feet are and doing as much as I can and getting our team to a championship.'