Gotham FC captain Tierna Davidson will miss the rest of the season after tearing her left ACL during a match against the Houston Dash. The 26-year-old defender, who previously tore her right ACL in 2022, went down in a non-contact play and exited the field in visible pain before halftime. Gotham FC confirmed she has been placed on the season-ending injury list just three games in.

Tierna Davidson exited the field after sustaining an injury during the March 28 NWSL match between the Houston Dash and NY/NJ Gotham FC in Houston.

Davidson was set to play for the U.S. women’s national team against Brazil in an international friendly this Saturday at SoFi Stadium. She’ll be replaced by 19-year-old Gisele Thompson, who joins her sister Alyssa in what will be her third senior national team appearance.

Davidson addressed the setback on Instagram, joking about her “matching scars” and expressing optimism about the journey ahead. Her injury adds to growing concern over ACL tears in women’s sports, particularly soccer, where studies show female athletes face a significantly higher risk due to physiological factors and under-researched equipment design.

A U.K. parliamentary report last year criticized the slow response to ACL injuries in women’s sports, calling it a symptom of broader gender inequality in sports medicine. In response, the U.K.’s women’s league launched Project ACL, a three-year study aimed at reducing the rate of these injuries.