Ali Krieger praises Orlando’s interim coach Becky Burleigh

The Orlando Pride have named Becky Burleigh as their interim head coach.

The announcement comes after former Pride head coach Marc Skinner stepped down from his role on Friday.

NEWS: Becky Burleigh Appointed Orlando Pride Interim Head Coach. #AdAstra

🗞: https://t.co/BBxCuUCJTx pic.twitter.com/5SPDQw66OM

— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) July 25, 2021

Prior to joining Orlando for the 2021 season, Burleigh spent 26 years as head coach at the University of Florida.

Ali Krieger addressed the coaching shake-up on the Orlando City pregame broadcast, disclosing that she is “very excited” about Burleigh’s hire.

“She’s coached and managed some of the top players in the world like Heather Mitts and Abby Wambach,” said Krieger, adding, “They’ve said she’s such a great player manager and that’s exactly what we need.”

“In addition to having a distinguished coaching career, Becky is among the most widely-respected leaders in our sport,” Amanda Duffy, the Pride’s executive vice president, said in a statement released through the team.

Burleigh has signed on with the Pride for the remainder of the 2021 season.