FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Chris Tierney has been a “lunch-pail player” for the better part of a decade.
Throughout his eight years with the New England Revolution, he’s been Mr. Reliable and Mr. Utility. He’s played left back, right back, center back. He’s played left midfield, right midfield, central midfield. He’s taken set pieces. He’s even taken the occasional penalty.
Tierney shows up to work every day and does his job, no questions asked and with little fanfare. In short, he’s exactly the type of player who’s typically overlooked when it comes to All-Star games.
Not anymore.
Tierney, who has racked up more than 14,000 minutes and 174 appearances since breaking in as a rookie in 2008, was named to his first MLS All-Star team on Saturday afternoon.
After so many unsung years, it’s an honor even Tierney never expected.
“I was surprised, to be quite honest,” Tierney said with a laugh when asked how he reacted to the news. “Definitely unexpected. But it feels great to be recognized by other people within the game. It gives me a lot of validation for what I feel like is a lot of hard work I’ve put in, so it feels great.”
“Chris is a player that rolls up his sleeves and puts in the work every game and every training session,” said Jay Heaps, who’s followed Tierney’s entire career as a teammate, analyst and now coach. “There’s never a time when you can question his motivation and his commitment, so I think it’s well deserved.”
An influx of international superstars has raised the profile of MLS in recent years, and many of those players will be on the field on July 29 when the MLS All-Stars take on English club Tottenham Hotspur – Kaka, David Villa, Sebastian Giovinco, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard amongst the crowd.
But players like Tierney, who had to earn his way onto the Revolution’s roster after he was selected in the Supplemental Draft, have long held the league together and remain a crucial part of the setup today. Tierney’s proud to represent that class of player.
“Obviously the guys that are putting people in seats these days are the international stars and the big-name national team players,” Tierney said. “But there’s an important core of American players who have stuck it out in this league and worked hard, and I think I sort of fit in that category.
“To be kind of representing that level of player, I think is important and exciting for me.”
Tierney’s also excited about the opportunity to test himself against one of the Premier League’s top clubs, but for him the experience will be just as much about the players he’ll be playing alongside.
And while the All-Star game is mostly about the spectacle and putting MLS on a worldwide platform in an entertaining fashion, Tierney won’t pass up the chance to turn it into a learning experience, as well.
“Just being a part of a team with some of the names that you see on that list is going to be a once in a lifetime experience,” Tierney said. “I’m looking forward to meeting some of the other players and picking their brains a little bit about the game.”
Two of Tierney’s teammates will be newcomers to the league in Lampard and Gerrard, both of whom have worn the familiar number eight throughout their illustrious Premier League careers.
That, of course, has been Tierney’s number for the past eight years, as well, but he’s not exactly banking on beating out that pair for the chance to wear it in the All-Star game.
“It’s probably a toss-up,” he said with a laugh. “I think they’re going to end up taking it, I’m sure.”
