ORLANDO, FL – The Orlando Pride continue to quickly make moves towards the 2022 season. The Pride announced the hiring of Amanda Cromwell as the teams third head coach in team history.
Cromwell comes with 25 years of collegiate head coaching experience. She joins the Pride from collegiate powerhouse University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she led the Bruins to the 2013 NCAA Championship, three College Cup appearances, seven Sweet 16 appearances, and four Pac-12 team titles, with the most recent conference title in 2021.
“We are excited to welcome Amanda Cromwell as the new head coach of the Orlando Pride,” said Mark Wilf, owner and chairman of the Pride. “After a comprehensive search process, Amanda’s tremendous accomplishments and experience as a head coach for one of the most respected women’s college soccer programs in the country stood out. We are fortunate to be able to bring Amanda’s track record of success in developing national, professional, and collegiate standouts, and her commitment and passion for the game of women’s soccer to our Club. We are confident Amanda will be a terrific leader for the Pride moving forward.”
“I am grateful to the Wilf family and the entire Orlando Pride organization to have the opportunity as the next head coach of the Orlando Pride,” Cromwell said. “I am thrilled to lead this tremendous group of players and be part of a world-class club. The NWSL is a natural transition for me at this point in my career and I am excited to return to the Central Florida soccer community. At the same time, I am thankful for the nine fantastic years I have spent as the head coach at UCLA, supported by my players on the field, coaches by my side, and an administration dedicated to competitive excellence. I have a heavy heart leaving the players and coaches, but I know the future is bright.”
Cromwell joins the Pride with a 356-126-44 coaching record (.680 winning percentage). In addition to the 2013 Championship, which led to a 2014 Soccer America Coach of the Year honor, Cromwell also guided the Bruins to the 2017 College Cup Final, ultimately falling to Stanford, in a match played at Exploria Stadium. Cromwell was also named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2020.
Since joining UCLA in 2013, 20 of Cromwell’s Bruins have been selected in the NWSL Draft, including the Pride’s 2021 First Round pick Viviana Villacorta.
Prior to the move to Los Angeles, the 51-year-old spent 14 seasons in Orlando as the head coach at the University of Central Florida. With the Knights, Cromwell led the team to four Atlantic Sun Tournament championships, four Conference USA regular-season titles, the 2012 C-USA tournament title and 11 NCAA tournament appearances, becoming the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2009.
The Pride look to begin the 2021-22 offseason process with the NWSL Expansion Draft and NWSL Draft on Dec. 16 and 18, respectively.
