Soccerish | Ep 9 | Box to Box with Bev Yanez — From Japan to the NWSL touchline

As the NWSL playoff race hits its two-game sprint, we revisit Bev Yanez—head coach of Racing Louisville and the only current NWSL coach who also played in the league. Her philosophy is clear: work rate, honesty, and sustained commitment to the group. From a coaching awakening in Japan’s brain-bending rondos to a midseason reset after a 4–1 home loss, Yanez explains how those moments shaped her leadership—and why Racing now carries her identity for 90-plus minutes.Inside the episode • How Racing built a hard-working team identity • Why Japan “broke” her (and made her better) • Leading a staff of former head coaches • Trust, growth, and ownership in the locker room • The (hypothetical) swear jar — and what it says about authenticityOn the record: Christina Unkel makes a bold call — Bev Yanez as a future USWNT head coach. Do you agree?Chapters (mm:ss)00:00 Cold open — proper English weather & hello again 00:40 Welcome — Christina & Lori re-introduce Bev 02:05 Fun fact — only NWSL HC who also played 03:38 Path to coaching — visibility, licenses, Japan spark 05:51 First months as HC — what you don’t see in the chair 07:49 Identity thread — work rate from player to coach 10:17 Box-to-box — effort as a throughline 15:07 Japan — the rondo shock 23:34 Playoff push — the 4–1 reset & principles 25:31 Calling card — “we work for 90-plus minutes” 27:33 Swear jar — authenticity with a bleep 32:49 Christina’s call — USWNT future 42:50 Outro — thanks & sign-off Watch, listen, subscribe and follow• All episodes on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SoccerishPodcast• Show notes & clips (Substack) → https://www.soccerishpodcast.com/• Shorts playlist → https://www.youtube.com/@SoccerishPodcast/shorts• IG/TikTok/YouTube: @SoccerishPodcast-Audio podcast https://pod.link/1786871720HostsChristina Unkel (CBS/ITV rules analyst; FIFA referee) & Lori Lindsey (CBS/Amazon/Apple analyst; former USWNT)Contact / [email protected] | Red Card Productions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.