McKinley Crone Bio
McKinley Allyn Crone (born October 20, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Born and raised in the Orlando area, she came up through the regional soccer scene before earning a starting role in college and eventually signing with her hometown professional club. She is recognized for her durability in goal, including holding the all-time national record for career minutes played by a goalkeeper.
Standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, Crone combines reach with consistent shot-stopping, and she has become a reliable presence between the posts. After years of development at the collegiate level, she transitioned to the professional ranks with the Pride and has continued to expand her experience through a loan spell in the lower divisions.
Early Life and Background
Crone was born in Maitland, Florida, an Orlando suburb, to Mark and Lora Crone, and she has a younger sister. Growing up in Central Florida, she played multiple sports before committing to soccer at the age of nine. She also swam varsity during her high school years, demonstrating an athletic foundation that extended beyond the soccer field.
She attended Edgewater High School in Orlando, where she lettered in soccer for four years. As a freshman, Crone played at forward before settling into the goalkeeper position, where she would earn all-metro honors three times. At the club level, she played for Florida Kraze Krush, a well-known youth program in the region that helped shape her early development as a shot-stopper.
Path to Soccer
Crone’s path to the professional game began with her standout high school career, which earned her a spot on the Oklahoma Sooners roster in 2017. The move to a Big 12 Conference program gave her an immediate opportunity to compete at a high level, and she responded by becoming the Sooners’ starting keeper for two full seasons.
After her time at Oklahoma, an injury prompted a transfer to the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2020. The Southeastern Conference program offered a new setting for her to refine her craft, and she quickly became a key piece of the defense. By the end of her college career, she had set the all-time national record for career minutes played by a goalkeeper, a mark that underscored her endurance and consistency in goal.
McKinley Crone Career
Early Career (2017–2019)
Crone opened her collegiate career with the Oklahoma Sooners, taking over as the starting goalkeeper from her first season. As a freshman in 2017, she piled up 111 saves, and she followed that with 97 saves as a sophomore in 2018. Despite her strong individual production, the Sooners posted losing records in both of her full seasons.
She developed her command of the penalty area and her shot-stopping fundamentals during this period, which prepared her for a higher level of competition. By the end of her time at Oklahoma, she had built a résumé that made her a sought-after transfer.
Alabama Breakthrough (2020–2022)
Crone joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2020 and quickly became a centerpiece of the program. In the 2021 NCAA Championship, she shut out Clemson in the first round, helping Alabama win its first-ever match at the national tournament, and recorded a season-high seven saves in a loss to BYU in the next round.
Her 2022 campaign was the defining stretch of her college career. Crone allowed only 11 goals in 19 games as Alabama went undefeated against Southeastern Conference opponents and won the conference regular-season title for the first time in program history. Although the team fell to South Carolina in the SEC tournament final, it advanced to the NCAA tournament semifinals for the first time, where Crone posted a season-high eight saves in a loss to eventual champion UCLA. Across three seasons at Alabama, she totaled 229 saves and tied the program record with 21 career clean sheets.
Orlando Pride Era (2023–Present)
Crone joined her hometown club, the Orlando Pride, as a non-roster trialist during the 2023 preseason. On September 13, 2023, she was signed to the roster for the remainder of the season after two stints on national team replacement contracts, marking her entry into the professional ranks.
She returned to the Pride for the 2024 preseason and signed a one-year contract on March 11, 2024. On July 20, 2024, she made her professional debut in a 1–1 draw against the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, recording five saves in regulation and stopping two penalties in a 5–4 shootout loss. On September 6, 2024, she signed a two-year extension to remain with the Pride through 2026.
Driving Style and Strengths
Crone’s strengths as a goalkeeper include her reach, her composure under pressure, and her ability to produce in high-volume save situations. Her record of 9,519 career minutes in college reflects her durability, while her penalty-kick stop in her professional debut highlighted her mental toughness in decisive moments.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among her signature moments, Crone’s 2022 SEC title run with Alabama stands out, as does her 2024 professional debut in the Summer Cup. She also holds the all-time national record for career minutes played by a goalkeeper, a milestone that cements her place in the college game’s record books.
McKinley Crone Career Wins
Crone’s career has been defined more by milestone performances and program-building contributions than by championship trophies at the senior level. Her most celebrated team achievement came with the Alabama Crimson Tide, where she helped the program secure its first Southeastern Conference regular-season title in 2022.
Alabama Highlights
During three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Crone amassed 229 saves and tied the program record with 21 career clean sheets. Her 2022 performance, in which she allowed only 11 goals across 19 matches, anchored Alabama’s undefeated run through SEC play and its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament semifinals.
Other Wins and Performances
At Oklahoma, Crone delivered back-to-back 90-plus save seasons, totaling 208 saves across her two full years as the Sooners’ starter. At the professional level, her Summer Cup debut and subsequent NWSL regular-season appearance have marked the start of her top-flight career in her hometown.
McKinley Crone Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Crone was raised in the Orlando suburb of Maitland, Florida, by her parents, Mark and Lora Crone. She also has a younger sister. The family’s roots in Central Florida have kept her close to the Orlando Pride, the club she joined as a hometown professional.
Personal Life
Crone has continued to base her professional life in the Orlando area, allowing her to play for the city’s NWSL club. She has spoken about the significance of representing her hometown team after years of developing in the regional soccer system.
2025 Season Performance
Crone entered the 2025 NWSL season as a member of the Orlando Pride after signing a two-year extension that runs through 2026. Her pathway to regular-season minutes began on May 3, 2025, when she made her NWSL regular-season debut in a 1–0 defeat to the Portland Thorns, replacing the injured Anna Moorhouse as a second-half substitute and not conceding a goal across her 40 minutes in net. The appearance marked her first league minutes at the top level of American women’s soccer.
Her role with the Pride has continued to grow following her Summer Cup debut the previous summer, and her contract extension through 2026 signals the club’s long-term investment in her development. With veteran presence Anna Moorhouse ahead of her on the depth chart, Crone has served as a reliable backup option while gaining valuable experience against top-flight competition.
Looking ahead, Crone’s trajectory points toward an expanded role with the Orlando Pride, supported by her record-setting college resume and her early professional showings. Her combination of size, experience, and shot-stopping instincts positions her as a developing goalkeeper within the NWSL, and the Pride have continued to give her opportunities to compete.