After her impressive second season with Racing Louisville FC, Bev Yanez has been honored with the 2025 NWSL Coach of the Year award.

“I’m genuinely surprised and incredibly thankful,” Yanez expressed. “I owe so much to the team for their belief in me and their trust. I wouldn’t be standing here without them, or without the dedicated staff who poured time and faith into our vision. And my family, they’ve always supported me and encouraged me to chase my dreams, no matter what.”

Under Yanez’s leadership, Racing achieved a significant milestone by securing seventh place, their highest finish to date, which led them to their inaugural playoff appearance. The team wrapped up the season with a total of 10 victories, amassing 37 league points, scoring 36 goals, and achieving five wins on the road.

Pathway from Player to Coach

Racing’s breakthrough into the postseason also marked a personal achievement for Yanez, as she became the first individual to reach the NWSL Playoffs both as a player and a coach. Her playing career included time with Seattle Reign FC, where she honed her skills under the guidance of the league’s most successful head coach, Laura Harvey.

Yanez previously served as an assistant coach with Gotham FC from 2021 to 2022 before being appointed as Racing’s head coach in November 2023. Her accomplishments this season also made her the first American female coach to reach the postseason since 2013.

The other contenders for the prestigious award included Adrián González from the Washington Spirit and Vlatko Andonovski from the Kansas City Current, who was also Yanez’s former coach during her tenure with the Reign.

The other two finalists for the award were Adrián González of the Washington Spirit and Vlatko Andonovski of the Kansas City Current, who was also her coach during her time with the Reign.

At 37 years old, Yanez is not only the first former player to win the award but is also the first American coach. Previous winners include Seb Hines, Becki Tweed, Casey Stoney, and her former head coach, Laura Harvey.

Yanez’s Impact Over the Past Two Seasons

Last season, Yanez recorded her first win as a head coach with a 5-1 victory against the Utah Royals FC. The 5-1 scoreline marked the highest goals scored in Racing’s club history.

This season, Racing fought their way through the season and resulted in a 10-7-9 playing record (wins, draws, losses). One of their key wins came from a 2-0 victory at home against the reigning NWSL Champions, the Orlando Pride.

With a goal from Arin Wright in the first half to a penalty kick in the second, Racing secured a clean sheet win against a major competitor early on in the season.

Their most recent defeat came from the Washington Spirit as they looked to progress in the NWSL Playoffs. Racing made a comeback draw in the final minutes of stoppage time as a goal from Kayla Fisher allowed the club to officially draw 1-1.

Despite the extra playing time, Racing’s playoff fate ultimately went down to the wire through penalty kicks to end their postseason journey. Even through the loss, it showed Racing’s capabilities and creativity on the field as Yanez led the way for her club during a historic moment.

The NWSL End of the Year Awards was broken up into two rounds of voting. The preliminary round included voting nominations from players, owners, general managers, coaches and the media on individual awards to determine the finalists.

According to the NWSL, the preliminary round used a weighted scale, broken down by players (50%), owners, general mangers and coaches (25%) and media (25%).

Yanez won the final round of voting, which utilized a weighted scale of players (40%), owners, general mangers and coaches (25%), media (25%) and fans (10%).