Lorne Donaldson

Lorne Donaldson

Donaldson with the Chicago Red Stars in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Lorne Garfield Donaldson
Date of birth	1954 or 1955 (age 68–69)
Place of birth	Jamaica
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1980–1982	Metro State Roadrunners
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1979	Cavalier
	Denver Kickers
1997	Colorado Foxes	1	(0)
Managerial career
1983–1985	Metro State Roadrunners (assistant)
	Colorado Foxes
2001	Colorado Rapids (assistant)
	Real Colorado Foxes
2019	Jamaica Women (assistant)
2022–2023	Jamaica Women
2023–	Chicago Red Stars
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Lorne Garfield Donaldson is a Jamaican football manager and former player who is the current head coach of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League.

Playing career

Donaldson attended and played soccer at Kingston College in Jamaica. He also played for Cavalier F.C. in 1980, Donaldson entered Metropolitan State University of Denver. He was a 1981 NAIA First Team All American soccer player. In 1995, MSU Denver inducted Donaldson into its Hall of Fame. Donaldson also played for the Denver Kickers when they won the 1983 National Amateur Cup. In 1997, he played one game for the Colorado Foxes.

Coaching career

Following the completion of his playing career at MSU Denver, Donaldson continued as an assistant coach with the men's soccer team while finishing his degree. He served as an assistant coach with the Colorado Foxes before becoming the head coach. He was the 1996 American Professional Soccer League Coach of the Year. In 1997, he became a coach with the Douglas County Soccer Association. The Douglas County Soccer Association runs the Real Colorado Foxes, a team Donaldson coaches. On 29 January 2001, Donaldson became an assistant coach with the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

In June 2022, Donaldson was named Head Coach of Jamaica Women women's football team. In July 2023, Donaldson lead Jamaica's "Reggae Girlz" to their second consecutive World Cup.

The Jamaica Football Federation, said after a conversation with Lorne Donaldson, whose contract as head coach of the Reggae Girlz runs out on September 30, 2023, there will not be a renewal. After guiding the Reggae Girlz to a second successive World Cup appearance and a historic berth in the round of 16 this summer, the veteran coach, made it clear that he had not had contract renewal talks with the federation and that the chance of him continuing seemed slim. The JFF and Donaldson met to discuss his contract and after an extended discussion, both parties agreed not to renew the contract.

On December 20, 2023, the Chicago Red Stars announced Donaldson as their new head coach.