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Yossi Raz took over guidance of the Anteater men's soccer program on January 19, 2017 as the fourth head coach in UCI men's soccer history after four seasons as head coach at Division II Cal Poly Pomona.
Entering his eighth year with the program and seventh season of play in 2024, Raz helped lead UC Irvine to its second NCAA Tournament berth under his watch after winning the Big West Championship, a 0-0 draw won in a penalty shootout, 8-7, over UC Davis. UCI fell in its opening-round matchup at LMU, 4-2, but finished with a 9-7-4 record and a second-place finish in the Big West at 5-3-1. The 2023 season included a win at 13th-ranked Cal State Fullerton and draw with No. 8 Creighton. Luke Pruter, Oscar Cervantes, and Mathias Winum were all honored as All-Far West Region recipients to run the team's total to eight All-Region under coach Raz's watch.
Coach Raz and the 'Eaters returned to prominence with a second Big West regular season title sharing with UC Santa Barbara at 6-1-2. Raz and the 'Eaters came one match short of another NCAA Tournament trip falling in the Big West Tournament Final, but came through 2021 with an 8-8-4 record continuing to post non-losing campaigns in each of his four seasons. The 2021 was particularly challenging as the program along with the entire Big West Conference did not compete in 2020 due to health and well-being concerns around the COVID-19 virus and pandemic working through 18 months of trials and tribulations to get back to competition in the fall of 2021. Raz and the Anteaters last played in 2019 where they finished 7-7-5 with a berth to the Big West Tournament.
Raz took the program to its sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 where the program reached the second round. UC Irvine went 11-6-4 as a program picking up a Big West regular season title. Coach Raz was named Big West Coach of the Year in just his second season. In his first year as UCI's head coach, the 'Eaters finished 8-8-3.
He was named California Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2014 after leading the Broncos to conference regular-season and tournament championships. His Cal Poly Pomona team followed up in 2015 with a second consecutive 17-win season and the program's second-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament that led to the championship match. The Broncos returned to the NCAA tourney again in 2016, reaching the third round. In four seasons at Cal Poly Pomona, Raz compiled a record of 54-17-12.
Raz is no stranger to the Big West Conference mentality as he was part of the soccer program at CSUN for 13 years, four as a student-athlete and nine more as an assistant coach. Raz was named First Team All-Big West in each of his four seasons competing for the Matadors, earning Big West Freshman of the Year honors and Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction from CSUN and the Big West.
Raz joined the Matadors' coaching staff in 2005 and made an immediate impact, helping CSUN amass a 15-4-3 record and a Big West championship. Â The Matadors reached the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, defeating league rival UC Santa Barbara in the program's lone Division I Tournament victory.
Off the pitch, Raz was President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and was selected for the NCAA Leadership Conference. His interest in academics continued on as an assistant coach at CSUN, as he was involved in the academic and social progress of his student-athletes and later at Cal Poly Pomona, consistently recognized by the Division of Student Affairs for his program's 100 percent graduation rate.
Raz's coaching circle includes the youth level, where he has recruited talent for the U.S. Youth National Team as a scout and coach. Â He has participated globally in coaching clinics in countries such as Guatemala, Brazil, and Spain, as well as being a training participant in Israel where he was born and raised. Â Raz previously spent time with the Israeli Youth National Team.
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The Raz File
- 2023, Big West Championship | NCAA Division I First Round
- 2021, Big West Coach of the Year | Big West Regular Season champions
- 2018, Big West Coach of the Year | Big West Regular Season champions | NCAA Division I Second Round
- Head Coach, UC Irvine
- 2016, NCAA Division II NCAA Third Round
- 2015, NCAA Division II National Runner-Up
- 2014, CCAA Coach of the Year
- Head Coach, Cal Poly Pomona
- Assistant Coach, CSUN
- 4-time All-Big West, CSUN
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