Riley Tiernan, the new superstar of Angel City Football Club (ACFC), has been taking the City of Angels by storm. With her speed, dominating attacks, and goal-scoring ability, it’s clear Angel City has unleashed the beast. Read on to learn more about the NWSL rookie firing up LA.
Early Years
A New Jersey native, Tiernan grew up with a ball at her feet. Surrounded by a soccer-loving family, including older sister Madison, a former Rutgers and Sky Blue FC (now Gotham FC) player and current Rutgers coach, Riley’s soccer journey started early.
At age nine, Tiernan started playing with the elite Players Development Academy (PDA) , and played with Eastern Regional High School, where she was named Courier-Post’s 2020 Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year. She received high praise from head coach Jamie McGroaty: “She’s kinda like Wayne Gretzky, where you never see her get hit,” she said. “She’s so deceptive with the ball and has that innate ability to get around people with little fakes.”
Like her sister, Tiernan went on to star at Rutgers, helping lead the Scarlet Knights to the 2021 NCAA College Cup, and left as the program’s career assist leader with 34 assists in 83 games.
NWSL
After college, Tiernan was invited to train with Angel City FC before they signed her in…
