How Gotham captain Tierna Davidson managed her daunting comeback trail

Gotham FC fans celebrated when defender Tierna Davidson was activated off the season-ending injury list earlier this month. Finally, their captain would be back on the pitch after having been sidelined for 11 months because of a knee injury — a spell that included watching the team go on an inspired run through the playoffs to an NWSL title. Davidson said she felt accomplished to have reached that benchmark.But she also noted the transaction was more so “the next logical step in all of the work that we’ve been putting in.”It’s not the checkered flag at the end of a race.

Her rehabilitation process remains ongoing. “What’s so important is even after you get cleared and you’re off the SEI [season-ending injury] list and you’re able to play,” Davidson said ahead of Saturday’s home opener against the North Carolina Courage.“It’s part of the recovery journey is then getting played back in and feeling like yourself and connecting with your teammates again and learning their tendencies and being able to play 30 minutes and then 45… “There’s so many more steps even after that,” she continued.

“There’s a very clear understanding that it doesn’t mean that, ‘Work’s done.Now we’re back.’ There’s definitely more that needs to be done still.”Physically, Davidson said she feels pretty good.

She’s eager to get back on the pitch with her teammates after going as an unused substitute in Gotham’s season-opening win over the expansion Boston Legacy last Saturday.But she also knows she can’t rush the process. “What always takes the longest to come back is some of the finer details of playing the sport that you can’t get until you’re in a full-team training environment,” Davidson said.

“So it’s just what I’ve been exposed to the least, but knowing that comes with just more time on the pitch, with more time with my team, you just have to have patience for those small, little things to come back.” Davidson ...