Orlando Pride Name Aline Villares Reis as Goalkeeping Coach

The Orlando Pride announced this afternoon the hiring of Aline Villares Reis as the team’s new goalkeeping coach. The addition of the 32-year-old rounds out Amanda Cromwell’s coaching staff for the 2022 NWSL season.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Aline at many stages in both of our careers,” Cromwell said about the addition in a club press release. “We’re so excited to have her be an integral part of what we are building and can’t wait to welcome her back to Orlando. She was an important part of our national championship run at UCLA, and impacted both our goalkeepers and team, as a whole, in a profound way. We expect her to bring that same energy to the Pride and be a positive force in our quest to win a championship.”

Reis has a history with both Orlando and Cromwell. The new Pride head coach recruited Reis to UCF in 2007, though she sat out the season due to injury. Reis was a four-year starter under Cromwell, earning All-Central Region, All-CUSA, and All-American honors during her collegiate career.

In 2013, Cromwell brought Reis to UCLA to be the Bruins’ goalkeeping coach, a position she held until 2016. While at UCLA, Reis coached college soccer’s all-time shutout leader, Katelyn Rowland. She left her position at UCLA to resume her playing career, joining Brazilian club Ferroviaria.

After a year at Ferroviaria, Reis spent a season with Hungarian side Gyori ETO FC and has been in Spain with UDG Tenerife since 2018. She ended her playing career when Cromwell hired her as the Pride’s new goalkeeping coach.

Internationally, Reis has made 15 appearances for the Brazilian national team and was a member of the 2018 Copa America champions. She was also a member of the Brazilian 2016 and 2020 Olympic squads and the country’s 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad.

“I’m so excited to join the Orlando Pride and begin working with our incredible players in a community that I love,” Reis said. “I can’t wait to be part of an ambitious club that is committed to continuous growth and the pursuit of excellence. I’m eager to start this next chapter of my life and I can’t think of a better opportunity than returning to Orlando, a team in my second home, and being part of this talented staff. I’m ready to get to work and do what it takes to build a championship team that both the club and the Central Florida community deserve.”

Reis’ addition sees the Pride’s staff made up of multiple coaches with Orlando roots. Four of the five coaches, including Cromwell, have ties to the city. While Cromwell played in Orlando and coached at UCF, Michelle Akers went to UCF, and Seb Hines played for Orlando City. The only member without a previous Orlando connection is Sam Greene, who spent nine seasons as an assistant to Cromwell at UCLA.

Reis will be the Pride’s third goalkeeping coach in team history. Former Orlando City goalkeeping coach Marcos Machado held the position in 2016 and Ashlyn Harris’ long-time coach Lloyd Yaxley was with the club from 2017 to 2021.

The Pride begin preseason training for the 2022 NWSL season on Feb. 1 and the NWSL Challenge Cup will begin the weekend of March 19.