PUEBLO, Colo. (January 31, 2023) - Colorado State University Pueblo women's soccer coach
Sierra Cardenas has announced the addition of
Frankie LaManna as an assistant coach. LaManna will begin his duties at CSU Pueblo on Feb. 1.
"I would like to thank Sierra (Cardenas) and the CSU Pueblo Athletic Department for this amazing opportunity," said LaManna. "I am very excited to work with such a talented group of student-athletes. I love Sierra's approach to facilitating the growth of the person and the player. I am eager to build on the culture and success that has been in place and I look forward to chasing trophies for years to come."
LaManna joins the ThunderWolves after spending the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant women's soccer coach on J.B. Belzer's staff at fellow Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference member, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
"We had an extensive and competitive search, with over 40 appliants, for our next assistant coach. I couldn't be more excited about where that search lead, and I believe we have found the right person in Coach LaManna," said Pack Head Coach
Sierra Cardenas. "His experience coaching across all levels of the NCAA and in the club ranks will allow him to have a huge and immediate impact on player development, recruiting, tactical game plans and day-to-day operations."
Cardenas added, "Most importantly, Coach LaManna's approach to coaching aligns perfectly with mine and with the values that our program is built on. He is a player centered coach and takes a holistic approach to player development. Together, we will continue to build on the excellent tradition of Pack Women's Soccer, while helping our players to be the best versions of themselves, on and off the pitch."
In his time at UCCS, LaManna was responsible for technical and functional training, scouting, and recruiting. He also assisted in game model, personnel choices and set pieces. Over his two seasons at UCCS, the program was ranked in the Top 25 nationally in total scoring offense. He was also a part of UCCS' 2021 team that were the RMAC regular season co-champions, captured the RMAC Tournament title and advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to coaching at UCCS, LaManna spent two years (2019-21) as an assistant coach with the Hotspurs Women's Premier Soccer League team located in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Hotspurs, which were formally called by Steel City FC, which is a semi-professional team comprised of current and former college players from the Pittsburgh area. He helped head coach Tom Ovenden with on-field duties, organizing and running training sessions and game management.
LaManna also spent two seasons while in Pittsburgh serving as an assistant women's soccer coach on Ellie Davis' staff at Saint Francis University, which is an NCAA Division I program located in Loretto, Pa.
Before working at Saint Francis and in the WPSL, he was a volunteer assistant coach for Robert Morris women's soccer and assistant coach for Defiance College men's soccer.
LaManna was also a volunteer assistant coach for Duquesne men's soccer and California University of Pennsylvania women's soccer. Prior to his collegiate coaching experience, LaManna was the Peters Township School District varsity boys' assistant coach and freshmen boys' head coach. He was assistant coach for varsity boys' and head coach for middle school boys' at Canon McMillan School District.
LeManna also has coaching experience with the PAWest Olympic Development Program, the Beadling Soccer Club, the Century United Football Club and the Pittsburgh Football Club. He played collegiately at Robert Morris where he redshirted as a freshman before transferring to Allegheny College, making eight starts and nine appearances before suffering an injury.
He graduated from Robert Morris with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a dual major in Finance and Economics in 2013. He received a Master of Science in Recreation and Sport Science with a focus on soccer coaching from Ohio in 2017 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Liberty University.
