The first team Kai Edwards ever coached was a group of under-12s that included two players who would go on to be US World Cup stars: Kristen Press and Whitney Engen.

He is currently head coach at the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, leading the team to its most successful ever season in 2022.

In between those coaching gigs, Edwards, in his own words, "worked, competed, failed, got dropped out, and came back in".

When he joined us on podcast row at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia last week, Edwards explored his journey in more depth, talking about how he manages his ego, why he is no longer a "transactional" coach and how important it is to be human…