| Hired at Buffalo State: |
Summer 2018 |
| Prior to Buffalo State: |
Assistant Coach - Buffalo State (2015-17) |
| Alma Mater: |
Buffalo State '15 |
Francesco Cardillo has led the Bengals to a record of 70-31-15 in seven seasons at the helm. His teams have earned SUNYAC playoff berths in five of his six seasons (excluding the COVID-19 season), including back-to-back trips to the semifinals in 2019 and 2021, and a return to the semifinals in 2023. In 2024, Cardillo led the Bengals to one of their best seasons in program history as they registered a program-record 16 wins, reached the SUNYAC Championship for the first time since 1984, and reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history; matching the deepest run any Buffalo State program had made in the NCAA Tournament. Cardillo and his staff were also named the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year as well as the United Soccer Coaches Region III Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024. Buffalo State finished their 2024 campaign ranked 16th in the nation.
Cardillo has coached 29 All-SUNYAC selections in his seven years, including two SUNYAC Rookie of the Year winners in Theo Pencic (2018) and Abdi Salim (2019) and the SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year in Diego Rivera (2024). Salim was also named the SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. In 2024, Cardillo also saw the first set All-Americans in his tenure as Rivera earned First Team All-America while Manu Prieto earned Second Team All-America.
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Prior to being promoted to the program's head coach, Cardillo spent the previous three seasons at Buffalo State, including the two years as the lead assistant on the men’s staff after one year as the top assistant on the women’s staff. Cardillo was part of the staff that earned United Soccer Coaches East Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2017 after pacing the Bengals to a 14-3-3 overall record, just one win shy of matching a school record for wins in a season. Buffalo State was ranked as high as 13th in the nation. Buffalo State also qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1984. In two seasons with the Bengals staff, his teams combined to post a record of 25-10-4 and in his one season with the women’s team, the Bengals were 15-4-1.
Cardillo was also a key part of the men’s program’s turnaround during his playing days. A tough midfielder, he transferred from SUNY Canton in 2013 and was named All-SUNYAC in both seasons at Buffalo State, leading the Bengals to 15 wins in two years, a marked improvement for a team that won just one game in 2012.
A native of Oakville, Ont., the dual citizen completed his bachelor’s degree from Buffalo State in business administration.Â
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| SUNYAC Tournament Appearances: |
5: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances: |
1: 2024 |
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| All-Americans: |
2: Diego Rivera - 1st (2024), Manu Prieto - 2nd (2024) |
| SUNYAC All-Conference Selections: |
29 |
| SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year: |
1: Diego Rivera (2024) |
| SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year: |
1: Abdi Salim (2019) |
| SUNYAC Rookie of the Year: |
2: Theo Pencic (2018), Abdi Salim (2019) |
| United Soccer Coaches All-Region Honors: |
5: Theo Pencic - 2nd (2018), Diego Rivera - 1st (2023, 2024), Manu Prieto - 1st (2024), Salvador Gomes - 2nd (2024) |
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| Buffalo State |
Overall Record |
SUNYAC Record |
Year-End Finish |
| 2024 |
16-3-4 |
7-1-1 (1st) |
SUNYAC Finalist | NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 |
| 2023 |
11-5-3 |
5-3-1 (4th) |
SUNYAC Semifinalist |
| 2022 |
4-8-5 |
2-5-2 (7th) |
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| 2021 |
13-6-1 |
5-3-1 (4th) |
SUNYAC Semifinalist |
| 2020 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
NO SEASON – COVID-19 |
| 2019 |
15-4 |
6-3 (3rd) |
SUNYAC Semifinalist |
| 2018 |
11-5-2 |
5-3-1 (5th) |
SUNYACÂ First Round |
| Overall at Buffalo State (7 seasons) |
70-31-15 (.603) |
30-18-6 (.555) |
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Cardillo starred in the 2004 Euro Cup promotional video with Nelly Furtado:
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(UPDATED 12/17/24)
