Voorhees' Riley Tiernan features in a new ESPN behind-the-scenes series on NWSL players
“NWSL: The Final Third” has Tiernan as one of six players in the spotlight, with others including U.S. national team stars Trinity Rodman and Christen Press.
A new behind-the-scenes series on NWSL players features Voorhees native Riley Tiernan as one of the main characters.
NWSL: The Final Third is co-produced by ESPN and two firms the network knows well, Words + Pictures and Omaha Productions. The former has done many 30 for 30 documentaries — and women’s soccer content for other platforms like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video — and the latter has done a raft of shows with ESPN, including the Monday Night Football Manningcast. (Peyton Manning is one of Omaha’s co-owners.)
The three-episode set is centered on Tiernan, Angel City teammate Christen Press (in her last season as a pro), Kansas City’s Lo’eau LaBonta, and Washington’s Trinity Rodman, Hal Hershfelt, and Esme Morgan.
“I always say the key to making series like this successful is choosing characters who are excited by the opportunity and understand that there is a level of vulnerability that’s required,” said Marie Margolius, the show’s director, who’s a devotee of the sport and played at Harvard. “Riley, specifically, certainly understands that. And I think her trajectory in the league has sort of resonated with people because of her vulnerability and because she’s opened up about the challenged road that she’s had.”
Many viewers will pay attention to Press, a longtime U.S. national team star; and Rodman, the American game’s newest phenom. (Among the series’ fun stories is Rodman’s first-person account of how she met her boyfriend, tennis pro Ben Shelton.) LaBonta also is widely popular among women’s soccer fans, thanks to her vibrant personality and viral goal celebrations.
» READ MORE: A look back at Riley Tiernan's breakthrough in the NWSL last year
Tiernan isn’t as well-known yet, partially because last year was her pro debut. But this miniseries might help change that.
‘South Jersey is more gritty’
“It was such a cool opportunity,” Tiernan told The Inquirer. “I think any chance I’m given to do things like that is really important to take. They were great people, and they wanted me to just be as raw and authentic as possible, so I just tried my best to to do that.”
We see Tiernan at her southern California apartment with her boyfriend, former Rutgers pitcher Gavin Stellpflug. They met when Tiernan played soccer for the Scarlet Knights, and he moved west to join her last summer.
“He’s been one of the most supportive people throughout my journey here, especially,” Tiernan said. “So just being able to have him not only be here with me in California, but to also want to be involved in all the opportunities I get, I think it shows how much he really cares and how he’s willing to show up for me — even in times where he might not feel super comfortable being on camera and stuff like that. But, yeah, I can’t thank him enough for just being there for me in every way possible through the good and the tough times.”
» READ MORE: Amid controversy, the NWSL stands firm on the High Impact Player rule
The show takes viewers through Tiernan’s rookie season in LA, but also back in time a bit through her growth in South Jersey and at Rutgers.
“I would say South Jersey is more gritty, putting in the dirty work,” Tiernan says in the show, amid a montage of old photos and video clips. It was an easy line for TV to seize, but also one of a few that could draw attention from casual viewers who might see the show and decide to tune in to games. The NWSL craves that audience as much as any other sports league does.
“I’m super wild and crazy and a little bit fearless too, so I think that helps me with sports a lot and difficult situations,” Tiernan says later.
The series includes one of those situations: surviving a preseason tryout with Angel City. That was the only way she could get there, since last year was the first after the NWSL abolished its college draft.
» READ MORE: Riley Tiernan got a Philly homecoming with the U.S. national team's under-23 squad last fall
‘The toughest player on the field’
Her debut season included eight goals, the most by any rookie in the league, and a Rookie of the Year nomination. That drew praise from interviewees, including former U.S. women’s national team star Sam Mewis, who now hosts a popular podcast on the Men In Blazers media network.
“You may think she’s going to go out on the field and she’s going be dainty and fast, and she’s going to flick her ponytail,” Mewis says. “Riley is the toughest player on the field. … I just think it’s so impressive what she’s brought to a franchise that is really important to the league.”
We also see Tiernan on the night of the NWSL’s inaugural awards show, where she was nominated for Rookie of the Year. She didn’t win it, but was the league’s top rookie scorer with eight goals.
“She’s a star,” Stellpflug says in one of his cameos. “It’s been crazy to watch. She has a look, she’s got the spirit, she’s got the hunger, the tenacity, and, of course, the talent.”
» READ MORE: Trinity Rodman and Lily Yohannes lead the USWNT’s SheBelieves Cup roster, but some big players are out
Julie Uhrman, one of Angel City’s cofounders and its CEO, consoled Tiernan at the event: “You will be MVP next year if I have anything to do with it. You’re amazing. You’re f— amazing. OK? You’re amazing.”
The moment brought Tiernan to tears.
Uhrman will step down from the CEO job at the end of March, transitioning to an advisory role and a seat on the club’s board. But Tiernan isn’t going anywhere: last month, she signed a contract extension through 2028.
What happens next is beyond Hollywood’s control, because sports is the ultimate reality show. The NWSL season starts March 13, Angel City’s opener is two days later, and from there Tiernan will get to write her own story on the field.
» READ MORE: Why Trinity Rodman's contract situation was the biggest story in women's soccer this winter
“Her journey to being a contender for Rookie of the Year is one that is full of resilience, and mental fortitude, and physical strength that I think is really inspiring,” Margolius said. “She also just has this casual, fun vibe to her that I think is going to be really beneficial for the league and the sport. People are going to root for Riley Tiernan — everybody on the production team, by the end of production, was rooting for Riley Tiernan.”
All three episodes went live in ESPN’s streaming app on Wednesday. They will be televised on ESPN2 on Monday starting at 9 p.m., and will also be available to Disney+ subscribers from March 2-31.