Riley Tiernan: From Unknown to NWSL Star, A Success Story

Riley Tiernan: From ‘underdog’ to star in the NWSL

In a hazy day in March in Los Angeles, Riley Tiernan positions herself just inside the area. She watches as her Angel City FC teammate, Katie Zelem, sends the ball to Claire Emslie, located near the left edge of the area. Emslie centers the ball about 12 meters away. With three Seattle Reign defenders approaching, Tiernan rises and connects with her head, sending the ball to the upper left corner of the goal, out of the goalkeeper’s reach. Amazing for someone who didn’t have a contract four weeks earlier. Today, 23-year-old Tiernan is one of three finalists for the Rookie of the Year award, which will be announced at the NWSL Awards. The other nominees are Maddie Dahlien of the Seattle Reign and Lilly Reale of Gotham FC. Tiernan’s path to this moment has been unconventional: two weeks before the NWSL season began, she was still a non-contract invitee at training camp.

“She went from being an ‘underdog’ to a star,” says Julie Uhrman, president and co-founder of Angel City. “She wasn’t recruited. She had to fight to be seen, fight for a place on the team, fight for a place in the starting eleven. She won every one of those battles.”

Julie Uhrman, president and co-founder of Angel City

Tiernan made an immediate impact this season. In early May, after scoring five goals, she led the 42 rookies in goals and was second in the race for the Golden Boot. At the end of the regular season, Tiernan had started in every match, accumulating 2,200 minutes, with 8 goals, 1 assist, and 18 shots on goal. Although Angel City failed to reach the playoffs with a 7-6-13 record, Tiernan’s outstanding season was a bright spot. “I just wanted a chance on the field,” says Tiernan. “I didn’t expect any of this to turn out the way it did.”

Tiernan celebrates a goal against Washington in May.

From a young age, Tiernan showed her passion for soccer. Her older sister, Madison, remembers how Riley would join the games in the backyard, demonstrating an innate competitiveness. This passion led her to excel at PDA South, the player development academy in South Jersey. Soon, Riley became one of the best soccer players in New Jersey. The Tiernan family received a call from Mike O’Neill, Madison’s coach at Rutgers, offering Riley a scholarship. Her father, Joe Tiernan, couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but the coach knew Riley’s mentality and the family support she would receive. In 2021, in her first season with Rutgers, Tiernan won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award and was included on the All-Freshman Team. She finished her career with a school record of 34 assists, sixth in Big Ten history. However, an incident during her final year threatened to tarnish her achievements. In a Big Ten semi-final match against USC, Tiernan stepped on a defender after a blocked shot, earning her a red card and expulsion. Madison, who had been hired as an assistant coach for Rutgers in 2022, watched the play on television and reacted with surprise. With the elimination of the college draft and NWSL expansion in August 2024, Tiernan knew that, to play professionally, she would need to secure a contract or compete for a spot in the 2025 preseason training camps. She awaited news from NWSL teams, including Gotham, which had selected her sister in the 24th position in 2017. For weeks, Tiernan’s phone didn’t ring. The red card incident was still recent, and, as Madison says, “there has always been an underestimation of my sister.”

With Madison’s help, Tiernan hired an agent who contacted all the teams in the league. Gotham and Angel City were the only ones who offered Tiernan a tryout invitation. It was the beginning of 2025, and Tiernan had a decision to make. “I followed my sister’s footsteps from the beginning. Almost all my life,” Tiernan said. “I felt this was the perfect time to forge my own path.” In January, while listening to “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, Tiernan arrived in Los Angeles as a non-contracted guest for Angel City’s preseason. “I was really looking forward to it,” says Tiernan. “I had that adrenaline. I was here, and every day I had to prove my worth. I had no time to waste.”

Sometimes, she received positive feedback from Angel City’s coaching staff. Other days, she heard nothing. She began to question whether she would get a spot on the season’s roster and if she could have done things differently. During the tryout period, Tiernan met with the coaching staff to discuss the red card that ended her college career.

“She had a pretty well-documented incident at the end of her college career,” says Sam Laity, current Angel City assistant coach and former interim coach. “And I think that scared people. But it didn’t scare our club because the people here talked to her about the incident. She took responsibility for it. And that was really revealing for our club.” Tiernan found solace in reading the Scriptures and in prayer. She spoke with her sister every night, and Madison encouraged her. After a couple of weeks, Tiernan felt more secure and began to relax and have fun. Positive feedback from the coaches flowed.

“For Riley, the first day, he burst through the doors,” Laity said. During video sessions, Tiernan’s clips were shown more frequently as examples of what the team wanted to see on the field. “For the first four days of our training footage, it was all Riley,” Laity said. “And that continued.” But the days passed without a contract offer. “I was thinking of all the negative ‘what ifs’,” says Tiernan. “Like, ‘Oh, what if I don’t get a contract? Then I have to go home. Then what do I do? Where do I go from there?'”. “The season was about to start, so I couldn’t go anywhere else.” After more than a month of training, Tiernan collapsed. The next morning, two weeks before Angel City’s home opener, assistant coach Eleri Earnshaw told Tiernan to meet with sporting director Mark Parsons and head coach Mark Wilson. “We want to sign you,” Parsons said. Tiernan felt like she could breathe for the first time in weeks. “I think for Riley, honestly, it was better that he wasn’t given anything,” says Madison. “Now, if someone has something to say, they can look him in the face and say, ‘I earned every inch of my contract.'” In September, Tiernan faced Bay FC and managed to score an impressive goal. With her shot, Tiernan did a backflip. The Angel City fan section erupted, chanting Tiernan’s name. After the match, Tiernan approached the fans, who gave her a jersey with an image from the movie “Step Brothers”, featuring her face and those of Vinny and Pauly D from “Jersey Shore”. After scoring his eighth goal and setting a club record for goals in a single season, Tiernan struggled to find the net in the following eight matches. Despite this, coach Alexander Straus valued his efforts, highlighting his commitment to the team and his constant growth.