Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
Angel City’s sensational 4-0 home win over the Chicago Stars last Sunday in Los Angeles was not short of talking points. The visitors had their defensive issues, of course, but there was also the forward runs of Gisele Thompson from right-fullback, the movement infield of Kennedy Fuller, the marauding play of Maiara Niehues in midfield. It was a dynamic team performance, the best way to start the new National Women’s Soccer League campaign. Amid all of this, Riley Tiernan’s change of position went almost unnoticed.
In what was a fluid 4-2-3-1 setup, Tiernan—Angel City’s leading striker and top scorer last year—started on the left wing. Sveindis Jane Jónsdóttir took up the main striking role, while Fuller played like an inside-right, with Thompson overlapping her.
Here’s an example of the setup from the match itself, with Tiernan highlighted:
Undoubtedly, this positional tweak flew under the radar partly because even when Tiernan plays through the center, she has a tendency to drift wide. She is far from a penalty box poacher,
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