Summer season Olympics: Tierna Davidson is an enormous loss for the U.S. girls’s soccer group. Right here’s why

One of many largest blows for the U.S. Olympic girls’s soccer group on their exceptional run to the knockout stage, was the harm to Tierna Davidson, who has been a rock alongside the backline for the People.

Davidson left Sunday’s 4-1 win following a collision with Germany’s Jule Model within the fortieth minute. She suffered a knee harm so unhealthy that she had to get replaced by fellow defender Emily Sonnett. It’s a large blow for each the U.S., who’ve relied on Davidson all through qualifying and even more durable for Davidson, who has been dominant since a season-ending ACL tear sidelined her in 2022.

Who’s Davidson? And why is she so important to the group’s plans? Forward of the U.S.’ closing sport in opposition to Australia on Wednesday (1 p.m., Peacock), listed here are 5 issues to find out about her:

She has spent almost half her life within the USWNT circuit

Davidson, 25, has been on U.S. Soccer’s nationwide group at each the youth and senior ranges since 2014. She performed for the under-20 youth group for 4 years (2014-18) and has over 60 appearances for the senior nationwide group since making her debut on Jan. 21, 2018. In doing so, she grew to become the youngest participant on the squad that certified for the 2019 FIFA World Cup.

She needed to grow to be an astronaut

Davidson, a Stanford graduate took flying classes and had desires of working for NASA earlier than pursuing a profession in soccer as an alternative. Davidson, who grew to become skilled after the 2019 NWSL draft was picked up solely after simply three years with the Cardinal, forgoing two extra years of school eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photograph by Brad Smith/ISI Images/USSF/Getty Photos for USSF

Says the Korbin Albert saga affected her personally

Davidson, who’s overtly homosexual with a fianceé, says that the homophobic posts of teammate Korbin Albert “was a problem scenario that has clearly affected me personally, given what she was talking on,” Davidson mentioned on the Good Sport podcast. Nonetheless, Davidson additionally famous that Albert has “gone by means of numerous studying since then and she or he has to proceed to try this,” including “all of us do as people.” Nicely mentioned.

Was the highest choose within the 2019 NWSL draft…

Sometimes defenders aren’t prime selections, however that’s what Davidson grew to become after forgoing her remaining eligibility at Stanford and declaring for the NWSL draft. She was picked up by the Chicago Pink Stars. She’d play out her contract in Chicago earlier than being picked up in free company by the NWSL’s Gotham FC in January.

Photograph by Karen Hickey/ISI Images/Getty Photos

… and guided Stanford to a nationwide title

Earlier than being the highest choose within the draft, Davidson had momentum stemming from being a significant piece in Stanford’s run to the 2017 NCAA Division I championship. Within the Ultimate 4, she was on the sphere when the Cardinal defeated Florida State, 1-0 within the semifinal, earlier than a 4-0 rout of Penn State within the closing, discovering Davidson collected the award of being named the match’s Most Excellent Defensive Participant.