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New Mexico United appoints Dennis Sanchez as new Head Coach

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 12/24/24, 12:00PM EST

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2024 Coach of the Year finalist joins from Las Vegas Lights after to Western Conference Final

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico United announced on Tuesday it had appointed Dennis Sanchez as the fourth Head Coach in club history after the club reached an agreement with Sanchez’s former club Las Vegas Lights FC on his release.

“I couldn’t be more excited to become a part of the New Mexico United family,” said Sanchez. “It’s a privilege to join such a special club with a clear vision for success. The drive to win trophies, the caliber of people here, and the deep ties to our community are what made this opportunity so compelling. We're focused on building on the club’s recent achievements and aiming for even more success, because that’s what our incredible supporters deserve.”

Sanchez joins United after a season in which he led the Lights to the best campaign in its history. Las Vegas set clubs records in regular season wins (13) and points (50) to earn its first trip to the USL Championship Playoffs while achieving a 31-point increase year-on-year from its 2023 campaign.

After finishing fourth in the Western Conference, the Lights went on to advance to the Western Conference Final in the postseason, defeating Sacramento Republic FC in a penalty shootout and taking a 1-0 win against top-seeded New Mexico at Isotopes Park before being eliminated by eventual USL Championship title winner Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

For his work, Sanchez was nominated as a finalist for the 2024 USL Championship Coach of the Year award alongside former New Mexico United Head Coach Eric Quill.

Sanchez had joined Las Vegas for his first full-time head coaching position after serving as an assistant coach for the Austin FC II side that claimed the MLS NEXT Pro title during the 2023 season. He had previously served as an assistant coach with the Charleston Battery in 2022, taking the helm as interim Head Coach for the club’s final game of the season.

Prior to joining Charleston, Sanchez served as the Academy Director at Sacramento Republic FC. During his tenure, Republic FC signed academy products Mario Penagos, Rafael Jauregui and Hayden Sargis to their first professional contracts, with Sargis earning nomination for the Championship’s Young Player of the Year award in 2020.

Sanchez also spent four seasons as the Academy General Manager for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer. With the Crew, he oversaw all aspects of the Academy including creating a player first culture, scouting and recruitment, and the implementation of an integrated methodology.

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