Forward Beverly Yanez reflects on international career, coaching opportunities, and what has made he
Over this past Christmas break, I sat in a busy Starbucks with Seattle Reign forward Beverly Yanez and talked about her experience as a player in foreign countries and what has led her to where she is at in Seattle.
From the WPS to the NWSL
In 2011, Yanez won the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Championship with the former club team Western New York Flash, who are now relocated and known as the North Carolina Courage. Just a year later, the league folded and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) was founded in 2012.
Yanez was supposed to sign with FC Sky Blue, which is in New Jersey. Sky Blue had a pre-season trip planned to play in Japan, but the league folded. Despite this setback, Yanez traveled to Japan for the pre-season training with Sky Blue.
In Japan, the culture and playing style captivated Yanez and from that trip she competed in Japan for two years. Her time there has impacted her as a player and brought so much growth in such a short amount of time.
“I loved being overseas, I loved the style of soccer, but I missed my family and I missed being part of something which was bigger than that, the growth of women’s soccer in the US. I wanted to be a part of it and that was my passion to my decision to come back,” said Yanez.
While overseas, the Reign competed in Japan when Yanez was on the team. From that opportunity, she was later picked up by Seattle and being able to come back to America was a bittersweet transition.
“I want to be as impactful as possible and this organization (Reign FC) gives me the opportunity to be successful on and off the field and I think that’s why it’s such a big part of me now, having been with the club for 5 years I don’t know if I could see myself playing elsewhere,” Yanez expressed.
Coaching experience
Off the field, Yanez and her husband OT are coaches for Beast Mode Soccer in Seattle. They coach about 50 kids and have taken the curriculum from founder David Copeland in Los Angeles and do the same training.
Yanez plays on the pitch for the Reign for about six to seven months and then can transition from a player to being a coach and impacting the youth players in the Seattle area. Even when the NWSL season is over, she is still able to train in Seattle and gain experience while she’s playing and coaching.
“I love that aspect of it because I find that coaching and playing has been very beneficial to me as a player because things that I am telling them I also need to do myself.”
Seattle Reign has four Development Academy teams and along with coaching for Beast Mode Soccer Seattle, Yanez is the assistant coach for two of Seattle Reign’s Development Academy teams under Seattle Reign FC Assistant Coach and Reign Academy Head Coach Sam Laity.
“It has been a joy having the opportunity to coach alongside Sam and to work with the Academy teams. There is a lot of talent amongst the teams and I look forward to contributing to the players growth,” Yanez said.
Humbled success
The Moreno Valley native transferred from Sacramento State after a year and was the first player to be drafted to play professionally from the University of Miami in Florida. In December of 2009, she graduated from UM with a degree in Sports Administration and a minor in Communications.
Before going to Japan, Yanez had the opportunity to play in Finland for seven weeks with PK-35 to compete in the UFEA Women’s Championship League.
While playing in Japan she was a part of INAC Kobe Leonessa of the Nadeshiko League where she was the first foreign player to win the Golden Boot Award in 2013 and to be part of the Best XI. Yanez has records of winning two league titles and two Empress Cup Finals with INAC Kobe.
Last year during the NWSL offseason, Yanez, along with two other Reign players: Jess Fishlock and Lauren Barnes played for the Australian club team Melbourne City FC.
When I asked the dedicated forward about her success, she responded with an answer that I did not expect.
“I tend to see it a little bit differently as far as what that success is. When I think of what has kept me going as long as I have and what has kept me being so successful is the people that I have met,” stated Yanez. “The people that I have met along my journey have been the biggest inspiration to me and I think is a whole contest to why I’m still in this league. And traveling the world, meeting new people, getting to see new styles of the game, and getting to see new cultures has allowed me to be successful.”
Yanez went on to share how much her coaches and teammates all over the world have greatly impacted her as a player, but most importantly as a person. She began to explain their tactics and their detailed and efficient practices.
One experience that she had involved her players showing her how they wanted to orchestrate a play on the field. Although she didn’t understand the language that they were speaking in, they used a magnet that had her face on it and moved it across a white board. She only knew what they were trying to imply by seeing them move the magnet.
Being in Japan stretched her so much as a player in the aspects of not being able to communicate with her teammates and understand them. She didn’t have to worry about what was being said or beating herself up from over correction by the coach, but she could be her and analyze who she is to tune into her strength and weaknesses and make improvement.
“My Japanese coach is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. I went there as an average player and came out as a very good player and that was something that I never knew I was capable of,” explained Yanez. “I was taken outside of my comfort zone and placed in something so uncomfortable that I had to learn. My teammates taught me to be a better player and it’s something that I’m forever grateful for.”
With the NWSL season quickly approaching, Yanez will be returning with the Reign for her fifth season. The Reign will begin training in February in preparation for their season kickoff this Spring.
