Carmelina Moscato
Zac Cahill, Racing Louisville FC

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - The scene was a Whole Foods. The year was 2014. And the two players sitting down to talk were future Racing Louisville FC head coach Bev Yanez and future assistant Carmelina Moscato.

They had both joined Seattle Reign FC. Yanez and Moscato bonded quickly, bringing their notebooks for this particular meeting. 

"We were players. But we were talking about these little exercises we wanted to run in our coaching sessions when we got the chance," Moscato said. "So, for it to come full circle is pretty beautiful. I didn't plan it this way. But I'm really happy about it."

Yanez, whose husband played soccer for the University of Louisville, and Moscato, who previously worked under UofL head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes, have gotten to reunite in Louisville thanks to the hire of Moscato as Racing's newest assistant. Moscato is a Canada Soccer Hall of Famer who has gone to three World Cups and also won a Liga MX Femenil title in Mexico as the head coach of Tigres. 

But as the 39-year-old weighed professional options out, her old friend in Yanez reached out to talk. Initially, she did not think the first-year head coach wanted to discuss a potential job.

"My mind went straight to players, she might be interested in maybe some Mexican players I had worked with or something along those lines," Moscato said. "And then, when she had called and said, 'Hey, would you have any interest in this possibility,' I was like, 'Wait, what?'

And it was one of those things where it's your career, right? You want to have a deep think about where you take that next step. For me, it was going to be critical. I'd taken eight months off of coaching for a lot of reasons. And when she had said that, I was like, 'I'm clear. You're a good human being. You're an exceptional football person. And I want to learn from you. I want to work with you.' So, it didn't take much convincing."

"She's just an unbelievable human: her expertise, knowledge of the game, passion for the game, her passion for coaching," Yanez said. "I am just thrilled in so many aspects that she's here. She will make us better in so many ways."

Carmelina Moscato

Once former technical director Mario Sanchez decided to take a head coaching opportunity with the USL Championship's FC Tulsa, Yanez knew she needed to act quickly to complete her first coaching staff.

The two were aligned in what Yanez's vision is for Racing and from there, the head coach said making this move was a "no-brainer." From their time together as players and also continuing to follow Moscato's coaching career, Yanez wanted to bring her energy and passion into the fold with a group she praises for wanting to be coached.

"It's just been a smooth integration," Yanez said of bringing in Moscato, who is only on her second day of work with the club. "A big part of who I am as a coach and who I am as a leader is embracing other experiences and being open to the ideas of how have you done this in the past. And ultimately, I will come to the decision, but I want to understand what your expertise is and maybe what you've done in the past."

Moscato said her role will primarily focus on helping with individual development plans for Racing's front six, meaning its attacking forwards, midfielders and wingers. Louisville's midfield is among the NWSL's best, as it features United States Women's National Team standout Savannah DeMelo, club captain Jaelin Howell anchoring as a defensive midfielder, Brazilian National Team star Ary Borges and recent acquisition Taylor Flint.

The forward group, which lost veteran pieces like Thembi Kgatlana, Jess McDonald and Nadia Nadim, will now rely on younger players to step up and score goals for a club that tied for next to last in the NWSL in goals last season.

Kirsten Davis and Parker Goins have flashed their potential in domestic competition while Nigeria's Uchenna Kanu, whom Moscato coached in Mexico, has shown her ability internationally. Racing spent its 2024 first-round pick on UCLA's Reilyn Turner, a talent Louisville has high hopes for.

But Moscato sees the dynamic DeMelo as a centerpiece for how Racing wants to attack and play.

"She is so pivotal to what we're going to do this season," Moscato said. "Nadia and Jess, they all left, right? Now, we're filling those boots with some really exciting up-and-coming talent that brings something different. There's a lot there where you get excited. It kind of gets you out of bed in the morning to keep working on this project."

It is one where she said she is not "coming in blind." She studied the NWSL last year and learned a good deal about its teams. 

"And when I looked at Racing, I saw that there was an opportunity to be even better in the high press, to be even more purposeful in the possession," Moscato said. "I know Bev is going to lead us to achieving those things. I had always seen that potential in this team."

Her own potential will be worth watching in the future. Moscato has openly said she would like to be an NWSL head coach one day. Even after joining Yanez, who showed what kind of path you can take from an assistant to head coaching role, she said she is not focusing on how this can help her future aspirations.

After all, getting to this point is a long way from that talk at Whole Foods. 

"You have to be where you are," Moscato said. "I'm not here to gain an endgame. It's not like, 'Oh, I need to be a head coach.' I need to learn. And I need to continue to coach on the grass at this level among the best leagues in the world. That's going to continue to grow me as a human being.

"And I'm committed to this program. I want to grow these people and integrate here. And I think if a head coaching opportunity comes, I've done it. I've been a head coach. Being an assistant is a different role. I think it takes nuance and high self-awareness. You're coming in with ideas. You've already done it, you know how you want to do it. But it's not about that. It's about understanding where you can add value. And I'm really excited to share my experiences in different ways, in a way that's impactful and needed, as opposed to imposing. I think that's that's a big thing for me.

"Head coaching will be part of my future at some point. But it's not now. I'm here and I'm doing this role, and I can't wait to do it exceptionally well for whatever the group needs."

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