Former USMNT trainer Yoshi Ono developing young Wisconsin athletes

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - FOX6 first caught up with athletic trainer Yoshi Ono back in 2022, when he was fresh off a World Cup run with the U.S. Men's National Team in Qatar.

Since then, it's been a whirlwind for Ono.

Staying busy

Local perspective:

He still runs a successful performance program at Aurora Health Care in Sheboygan.

With his help, the Plymouth girls soccer team won back-to-back state titles in 2023 and 2024. The boys soccer team also won a silver ball in that time too.

"It was really an exciting time for myself, being able to work with these athletes," said Yoshi Ono. "Shape them to be the best athlete they can be."

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Before he knew it, the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup returned this summer and captured a global audience.

"It is the world sport," said Ono. "I think it creates a great unity of people of different backgrounds and walks of life."

Full circle moment

Big picture view:

This year, Ono experienced a full circle moment. Instead of working the World Cup, he got to watch Team USA take on Australia in a group stage match in Seattle with his family.

"We had a job to do and a purpose, versus as a fan, I was able to bring my family this time," said Ono. "Being able to actually cheer on your athletes and the staff that you worked with from the stands and screaming, chanting USA was really magical and to share it with my kids and my family was really wonderful."

Next year, the FIFA Women's World Cup will take center stage.

This summer, Ono helped the future generation of soccer stars.

With Wisconsin International Soccer, Ono was the assistant coach and athletic trainer for a local U14 girls team that traveled and competed in the annual Donosti Cup, an international grassroots football tournament in Spain.

"Beyond the actual field and what happened, I think the biggest thing is exposing them to a different culture," said Ono. "Having them adapt to new environments, a time difference, the food, the people, the language was a real fun opportunity."

Now that he's home, Ono is back to doing what he loves best. That includes training athletes like Chase Reinke.

Reinke is a senior soccer star at Howards Grove, who has been in Ono's performance program at Aurora for the past two years.

"It’s definitely helped with my endurance for sure, big time," said Chase Reinke. "It’s definitely helped with my conditioning. Strength, especially. I’ve seen a lot of growth."

Having an athletic trainer who has worked at the World Cup level, that's a nice perk too.

"It’s awesome," said Reinke. "I’ve always looked up to that US World Cup team. It really means something to me as well. It’s very motivating and, yeah, it’s just a very cool thing to be a part of and do."

This is what it's always been about.

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Training and passing his knowledge onto his athletes so they can better themselves, that's the ultimate goal.

Looking ahead

What's next:

"[In the] immediate future, would be hoping to do another Spain trip next year. Possibly every year," said Ono. "Maybe even the Olympics, which is a U23 for the men’s team. That's something that I have yet to achieve, so that can be something in the future.

While he has no immediate plans to work with the U.S. Men's National Team, Ono is excited to keep working with the youth in the area. That's where he feels like he can make his greatest impact.

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