Aug. 25, 2008
Sightings of UCF's logo are quickly spreading around the globe. Proud alumni and students happily display the Black and Gold colors wherever their lives may lead.
That was more than apparent when the head coach of the UCF women's soccer program took her school symbol all over North America and Europe, representing the Knights as part of the United States Under-20 National Team.
Serving as an assistant coach for Tony DiCicco, Amanda Cromwell traveled to Los Angeles, South Carolina, Utah, Mexico, New Jersey and England from April to August as the U.S. prepared for the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile starting in November. The leader of the Knights is no stranger to the U.S. Soccer program. Cromwell competed for her country from 1991-98 and was on the coaching staff for the Under-14 Girls' National Development Camp in 2007.
"Being back in the U.S. soccer environment is great," smiled Cromwell. "I played for the national team for seven years so I know what it's like as a player. To come back as a coach and be around all of the best under-20s in the country, as well as to help the coaching staff, is a huge task especially in a World Cup year. It's an honor to be with a team at this level, whether it's the World Cup or the Olympics. It's a once in a lifetime experience."
The Red, White and Blue held three training sessions before heading to Puebla, Mexico, and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) qualifications in June. They opened the event by shutting out Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba and Mexico to win Group A, then solidified their berth in the World Cup thanks to a 4-0 semifinal triumph over Costa Rica.
Even though Canada edged the United States in the final, that tournament combined with August exhibition matches in London allowed the American squad to get ready to improve on its fourth-place finish in the 2006 Women's World Championships.
"Competing in Mexico was great. Qualifications went pretty much as planned except for the finals. Losing to Canada 1-0 was a disappointment but we had already qualified and we learned a little bit from that loss," admitted Cromwell. "It was a good Canadian team that dropped in a bit, got numbers behind the ball and scored on a counter. We are going to have to figure that out for the World Cup. You never want to lose, especially since I'm always competitive, but we learned a lot more by losing that game than if we would have won."
The tournament also proved to be a valuable opportunity for Cromwell to strengthen her coaching skills.
"I try to bring back my learning experiences with the U.S. team here to UCF, but I also take my knowledge I've gained at UCF to the U.S. program," said Cromwell. "There was one practice where I was going over set plays with the under-20s and I showed them something we did at UCF vs. Miami in 2007. We had an indirect kick in the 18 on the last play of the game and scored the tying goal. Those plays are so rare, but they do happen and I explained how we converted that chance. Most teams would just touch it and try to shoot it head-high. We actually passed it across the mouth of the goal and drilled it through the defense.
"But there are things that I bring back here, such as specific tactical ideas in training that I liked a lot. You pick things up from other coaches all of the time. And I think any time that you aren't learning and growing as a coach, you shouldn't be coaching anymore. There's so much in the world of soccer, so many philosophies and viewpoints. This is like professional development for me."
Traveling the world certainly seems like it would be more than just professional development. And Cromwell acknowledges that that definitely is the case during her adventures with the United States.
"Each time I'm with the U.S. team, I am able to take away the fact that it's such a special experience," said Cromwell. "There are not many people in the world that get to play for their country. Before every game, when I was a player and now as a coach, it's an amazing moment to hear the national anthem being played. Especially in the sport of soccer where it's the most popular sport in the world, it's a huge stage to be on. I just always feel honored to be a part of it and I'm very thankful Tony brought me in to be one of his assistants. He has a great staff and I'm learning a lot from him."
Along with walking on the pitch donning the United States soccer emblem, setting foot on new territory has been something Cromwell craves to take advantage of ever y chance she gets. While in Puebla, Mexico, which is located southeast of Mexico City, the team was able to check out nearby volcanoes and ancient ruins that resembled "underground tunnels."
However, the U.S. simply reflects a true college program on many occasions.
"We were in Clemson for two weeks, and Utah and Mexico for another two weeks," reflected Cromwell. "That was a lot of time to be together with the group, and they came together pretty well. Every time you go on trips you can see the team chemistry forming. It's like a college team on the road. They love playing card games in the hallways, and the whole team was involved with a huge marshmallow fight in Mexico where we covered three floors of the hotel. One of the coaches even bought a Nintendo Wii in Clemson so we had that hooked up to a big-screen TV."
In every sense of the term, fun and games definitely fits this year's United States Under-20 National Team. And right in the middle of it all, side-by-side with the U.S.A. colors, proudly sits the Black and Gold of UCF and Amanda Cromwell.