Kickin' Back

Beverly Yanez retired from professional soccer in early 2020 after a decade of playing at the highest level. She was drafted by the Washington Freedom in 2010, won a WPS title with the Western New York Flash in 2011, and then went to play in Japan after WPS folded. She had a week to sign that contract, drive across the U.S., get married and get to Japan.

Beverly details that story and how playing for INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan changed her career and her outlook on life. She returned to the U.S. in 2014 and played for the Reign in the National Women's Soccer League for six seasons. Now, she's exploring her new passion for coaching the next generation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ali Riley is the captain of the New Zealand women's national soccer team and she is set to play in the U.S. again for the first time in nearly a decade after signing with the Orlando Pride. Ali discusses her career and lessons from Europe, playing for New Zealand after growing up in California and fighting for the next generation of women's players. She also shares some of her favorite vegan recipes, as well as her choice for the best of the many videos she created back in the day.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there a more versatile soccer player in the world than Crystal Dunn Soubrier? She is the starting fullback for the World Cup champions, the United States women's national team, and a starting central midfielder for the NWSL champions, the North Carolina Courage.

Versatility is nothing new to Crystal, but only recently did she begin to embrace that as a positive attribute. In this episode of Kickin' Back, we discuss her successful career to date, finding her superpower, silencing the doubters, and how she and her husband deal with working for rival teams.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two-time World Cup champion Becky Sauerbrunn kicks it to discuss her rise from a young player lacking confidence to arguably the best center back in the world over the past decade. Her journey includes emergency duty in the 2011 World Cup semifinal, shenanigans and championships in the U.S. pro leagues, and finally coming home to Portland for the latter stage of her storied career to actually get some work/life balance.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jill Ellis guided the United States women's national team to back-to-back World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019. In between, she faced significant adversity after a quarterfinal loss at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In this in-depth conversation, Ellis and host Jeff Kassouf dive into specific moments along those journeys — the highs and the lows. They also discuss conversations with other top coaches, including Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino, as well as modern tactics and challenges with player management.

Music: "Inspirational Outlook" by https://scottholmesmusic.com/.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Kickin' Back, a podcast by The Equalizer. Women's soccer is filled with incredible personalities and untold stories. Since founding The Equalizer (equalizersoccer.com) in 2009, Jeff Kassouf has been telling those stories. On this podcast, he sits down one-on-one with personalities from across the game to discuss their journeys.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices