Dennis Sanchez helped guide one of the greatest turnaround seasons in the USL Championship’s history in 2024 as Head Coach at Las Vegas Lights FC, overseeing a 31-point improvement as the club reached the postseason for the first time and advanced to the Western Conference Final of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs.

Then, in one of the biggest moves of the offseason, New Mexico United reached an agreement for his services with the Lights, bringing Sanchez on board as the club’s new manager after the departure of Eric Quill to FC Dallas.

Ahead of New Mexico’s clash with the Lights this Saturday night at Cashman Field (10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+), we sat down with Sanchez for an in-depth discussion on the transition to his new club, what he learned from his experience in Las Vegas, and what he believes New Mexico needs to do to be a contender for the USL Championship title this season.

Note: Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity

Q: Can you describe the process that led you to move to become Head Coach at New Mexico United this offseason?

Dennis Sanchez: I think, first off, obviously I’m really thankful for the opportunity that [Las Vegas Lights FC owner] Jose [Bautista] gave me last year. I know that there was a level of taking the chance on a first-time head coach, and allowing me to lead the process, I’m really thankful for that. And I think with anything, through collective success comes individual opportunities. I am ambitious in my own right and always want to try to find the right moments to take the necessary steps in my career.

Obviously, the season that we had as a team brought some notice to our group, our style of play, turning around the franchise. Fortunately, being around the league, I’ve always been following New Mexico united for various reasons. Actually, my ancestors are from the Albuquerque area, so I have always felt a different connection to the community wherever I visited. And then I’ve known Itamar [Keinan], now the Sporting Director, for about five, six years, and had a very organic relationship with him. Through my time with the Charleston Battery, I heard a number of good things about our owner, Peter [Trevisani] from Rob Salvatore, the owner at Charleston. So, it was kind of like all these things were working behind the scenes.

Seeing the season that New Mexico United had last year, when the offseason happened, getting a call from Itamar, speaking with, Peter, Ron [Patel], the people of New Mexico United, learning more about the club, their ambitions, while it was never an easy decision, it felt like the right one. I think it wasn’t easy just because of the time and effort that we took last year as a staff and as players to help turn the [Lights] around. It’s never easy to say goodbye to good people, but I just felt like it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up, something that’s really connected to me and really the core of my values and who I am.

All those pieces that we’re talking about were really big selling points for me. When I look at a project, it’s always about the people first. I think the vision, the ambition always comes with it. To be able to play in front of the best supporters in the league, and to have a team that was returning from last year with the collaboration of helping build upon the roster this year, it just felt right for where I was at my career.

Q: Last year you were building a club from a blank slate in Las Vegas. This year, you're taking over a team that was top of the West and has an established core. What's the biggest difference in how you manage a team that was already moving in a positive direction?

DS: I think that there was a lot of unique learning experiences last year, both on and off the field. I mean, the reality is I wasn’t even hired in Las Vegas until January 29th, and we were starting preseason on, I think it was February 14th, which was already a week-and-a-half behind everybody else. And so even the first six-to-eight games of the start of season were figuring out who we are, getting our players. There was a lot of learning by trial and error. But I think that one of the biggest things that I take away personally last year is it was the first time as a head coach that I got to really test all these years of developing my philosophy, not only from a football standpoint, but for relationships and management and culture.

I think that, of course, there’s always areas for me to improve, but I felt like a lot of my values that I wholeheartedly believe in were validated in a positive way last year, and again, I was a small piece of a team success. I give all the credit to the players, but I think that those things were validated last year, and that's helped me move into this role just being authentic and being myself.

I intentionally came into preseason very open-minded. Like, yes, I have a clear idea of how I want to play and how I see the game. But I also always want to give space for the players to be flexible within the system and to interpret things in a different way and see which leaders naturally come out and so forth. So, it was very much a balancing act. The first thing that I did when I got here was I met with each player individually for coffee for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and I think that just gives you a little bit of insight. Within those conversations, yes, there was some football discussion, but for the most part it was honestly just getting to know them as people and understanding about their family, where they come from, what their motivations are, then getting to know me.

At the root of everything I do is a relationship, and I love that we have a foundation. I mean, we truly do have a great locker room. We have some really good character and really good personalities and people first, which I think looking outside in last year was like the superpower of the group. And then we've been, you know, really meticulous about bringing in the right people that can fit into that puzzle, ensuring that they are also the right characters and the right fit for the group.

They’re two very different projects, but at the same time I love that we have a foundation to build upon. I do. It’s hard to compare the groups, but I would say we’re much further along than where Vegas was second week into the season last year. There's some details that we can continue to add in New Mexico, but I think that the final piece is that I’m embracing – and it’s the same with the players – and cherishing that we have a target on our back this year and that the expectations have risen. I think the club deserves that. Pressure is a privilege, so to be able to take that on and to know it’s going to be difficult to build upon last year, but that’s expectation, to me that’s a healthy thing, and that’s ultimately going to make us the best versions of ourselves as the season goes on.

Q: There was an effective passing of the torch between yourself and former United Head Coach Eric Quill visually in Kings of Chaos, the documentary the club produced. Was it nice to get a chance to introduce yourself in that medium to United's fan base?

DS: Yeah, I think that it’s very much part of my interviewing process, if I was OK being in a community and making sure that I’m speaking with supporters. Honestly, again, I think that football is so much bigger than just sports. It’s really just a way to develop life skills and to give back to community, so anytime there's an opportunity to connect with our people, we have to take advantage of it. You never know what they're going through, what they’re experiencing in life, and the hope is that they can come out on the weekend and feel joy for 90-plus minutes and be a part of something that’s bigger than themselves.

[The premiere] was a special night. I respect Eric. I respect all my predecessors that have been here and the year that the club has had, and I want to embrace that at the same time. I think the most important piece for us is to be present, to focus on the now, to focus on our own process, and continue to move forward and grow each and every day.

Q: What do you like about the players the club retained from 2024?

DS: I think part of the hiring process that was really important for the technical staff was Eric and I have a lot of differences, but also there’s a lot of similarities with how we see the game, and how we play the game. So I think that, one, we’re not going from a coach that played in that three center back system, or was super vertical and direct all the time, there’s enough similarities, that I feel like I've been able to build upon a really strong foundation. So even from a positional standpoint that was, that was really important to help us accelerate our process, especially in preseason.

And then, look, I think that part of what I love about the New Mexican culture and the mentality is this idea of having a chip on your shoulder, something to prove. You have to be bold, you have to be brave. And you can see that in the players last year, nobody would have thought that they would have finished first. I don’t know if we’re the underdogs anymore, but we can still have that same mentality that we still have something to prove, because that's the reality. As much as the club achieved last year, it still fell short in a number of their goals, and I think that’s the ambition.

I love that we have players that have tasted that, that winning mentality, and credit to the guys, I’ve said this to them multiple times this preseason, I've never felt one for one moment, that there's a level of complacency for what they achieved last year. If anything you know, between the team, myself, the players that we’ve brought in, there’s a hunger for more. So, I think that having that foundation, having the experience, having the leadership that that was here last year, adding a couple pieces, allows for there to be a little bit more seamless and a level of consistency moving forward.

Q: What qualities were you looking to add to the squad this offseason with the players?

DS: It’s a great question. I think that understanding that one player can change the whole dynamic of the puzzle, right? I like to have, of course, players and characteristics that fit the style and the system that I see the game, but at the same time I love flexibility. I’m always thinking about, how can the group be best balanced? I think that was one of my reflections from last year of ‘yes, I want to play football, but how can we [achieve balance].

There’s a quote that [Dutch coach] Pepijn Lijnders used in his book “Intensity” of piano players and piano carriers, and I think you have to find the right balance with attack-minded players. Of course, they have to do both sides of the ball and the defensive line of players, but how can we ensure that we have, one, the right balance within the team, but also the right balance within position. So, if you look at our frontline right now, there’s a lot of flexibility with how we can play.

Greg Hurst can play as a No. 9. He can come down low. We can play with a false nine. You know, [Mukwelle] Akale can come inside, he can stay wide, [Luiz] Fernando, same thing. McKinze Gaines was an important pickup for us, we felt like we need some verticality. So you can see, even just within those front three positions, that with Thomas Amang and with Daniel Bruce, we have a lot of flexibility, which, for me as a coach, allows me to not only select players that fit the system, but then also be very specific that if I see areas that we can exploit against our opposition, we can tweak them on a weekly basis.

Q: The schedule makers obviously had a sense of humor in sending you back to Las Vegas this early in the season. How are you preparing for and looking at Saturday night's game at Cashman Field?

DS: I think it's going to be great to see former players and staff. Honestly, I’m treating it like any other game. I think that's my job as a coach to always be even keel. As I said earlier, one player can change the dynamic of a team, and so can one coach. They’ve brought a lot of players back from last year, but at the same time, they’re a very different team, very different style. So just again, coming in with humility and full respect for them, but also at the same time wanting to go in and play our game and achieve three points.

Q: What was the biggest thing you learned about yourself in Las Vegas?

DS: There was a lot. I think one piece that I take away, we intentionally wanted to bring in some veteran players last year. But I have so much respect for Solomon Asante, Charlie Adams, Emrah Klimenta, these guys that really helped me keep a pulse on the locker room. I see it this year with the group that we have as well. I love the tactical aspect [of the game], but just the man management, keeping the pulse of the energy, keeping the energy right is so important. So that was one big takeaway.

I think one of the other big takeaways I have is, as a coach, you’re always in control of the narrative. As I talked about, just keep it even keel, not getting too high, not getting too low. There's inevitably going to be ups and downs throughout the season. One thing that I’ve believed in before last year was taking very much a process-oriented approach. I think having an identity gives you a North Star to work towards and achieve and make sure that you stay on the right track.

But there’s one instance in particular that kind of stood out to me, as a coach, and really how I want to play, and always being the protagonist and the play our way. It was actually the match that we had lost to Charleston Battery, 6-0 away. Former club, all my family's there. It was not a great moment for me personally, but you obviously felt for the guys too. That was a pivotal time in our season where we were still very much coming together. And at the same time, it was one of those games where we caught a Charleston team and Nick Markanich, who was on fire. I think he had four goals against us that day. It could have been two-zero us in the first five minutes, and then ends up where they punish us for every mistake.

Long story short, I reflected for the next 48 hours after the game. And I think a lot of coaches would have come in and maybe change their ways, or change their style, or gone off on the players. What I ended up coming back to was remembering that Charleston had actually lost the year before to San Antonio, at home, 7-0. Obviously, they ended up making it to the Final losing [in a penalty shootout], point being that it’s a long season, and if we continue to refine ourselves and grow each day, we’re going to be in a good way. Not to shy away from the mistakes and look at ourselves in the mirror, but also at the same time, not throw away all the hard work that we've done.

So, controlling those moments, it’s a seed that I’ve tried to plant in our guys’ minds. And look, we faced it last week in Sacramento. Adversity is going to happen. And for me, it’s how do we respond to those moments which is going to really define us as a group. I’m super-proud of the guys, it was an unfortunate red card last weekend. You go down a player at one of the best teams in the league, away, but at the same time, we still played our way. We still created some half-chances in the second half, and felt like from an outsiders’ view that it didn’t feel like we were playing with 10 men. I’m super-proud of them for how they dealt with it. There's going to be more of those moments in the future, but I know that we have the character to not turn it into a four- or five-game slide, we’re going to turn around this weekend and find a way to win.

Q: What are the three keys to success for New Mexico United this season?

DS: That's a great question. Stay true to who we are. I think that part of me as a coach is I want players and people, I want them to feel like they can bring out their individual characteristics and personalities, whether that’s on or off the field. Yes, there’s a structure, but I think structure creates fluidity. So, I want to continue to empower them to be themselves, to lead, to find different ways to influence the game. It’s about us. So, I think as long as we stay true to ourselves, we’re going to be in a good spot.

I think the other pieces to that would be, there’s so many variables that go into it, but momentum, taking advantage of momentum in the right moments, being able to suffer in those moments where you don’t have momentum. It’s a little bit of adversity, but how we cope with those things? And then again, I think that for me, the superpower of the group is the collective spirit. So, how we can continue to live out our ethos each day? We know that our roles are going to change within the group continually throughout the season, but if we truly put the team above ourselves, [putting] the collective first, that’s going to allow us to have individual success too.

As long as we stay true to ourselves, deal with the shifts in momentum well, and stay consistent with our ethos and putting the collective first, I feel like we’re going to be in a good spot to achieve success.