Orlando Cervantes begins his first season as an assistant coach with the Blinn College women's soccer program.
Cervantes brings nearly 30 years of coaching and player development experience to Blinn, with an extensive background spanning the youth, collegiate, Olympic Development Program (ODP), professional, and national team levels. A U.S. Soccer "A" licensed coach, he has also served as a coaching education instructor and talent identifier for U.S. Soccer.
Throughout his coaching career, Cervantes has served as a head coach at Lamar University, Angelina College, Holy Names University, and Embry-Riddle University. He also held NCAA Division I assistant coaching positions at San José State University, Indiana University, and Cal Poly, helping guide San José State to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Cervantes served as the State Technical Director for the Louisiana Soccer Association, overseeing player development, coaching education, Olympic Development Program operations, and long-term technical planning. He also worked as an ODP Regional Staff Coach in Regions II, III, and IV, helping identify and develop many of the country's top youth players.
Over the course of his career, Cervantes has coached and developed players who have advanced to the United States, Colombia, and Mexico national teams, competed in FIFA Women's World Cups and the Olympic Games, played in Major League Soccer and professional leagues around the world, and earned opportunities at many of the nation's top NCAA DI programs.
As a player, Cervantes competed collegiately at Modesto Junior College in Modesto, Calif.
Cervantes earned a bachelor's degree from San Jose State Unversity and a master's degree in athletic administration and coaching from Concord University Irvine and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
