Mario Sanchez (born January 28, 1975) is an American soccer coach and former player who was most recently the interim head coach of

Racing Louisville FC Racing Louisville Football Club is a National Women's Soccer League team based in Louisville, Kentucky. It began playing in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium. The team is owned by Soccer Holdings LLC, which also owns Louisville City FC of the USL Cham ...

and the youth academy director for both

Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...

and

. He is the former head coach of Louisville City U-23, the SIUE Cougars men's soccer team, and the

UNLV Rebels men's soccer : ''For information on all University of Nevada, Las Vegas sports, see UNLV Rebels'' The UNLV Rebels men's soccer team represents the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in all NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions. The team currently comp ...

team. Sanchez played professionally in the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

and

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

, winning the 1996 and 1997 USISL championship with the

Central Coast Roadrunners Central Coast Roadrunners were an American soccer team, founded in 1996. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2002, after which the team left th ...

Early life

Sanchez graduated from Etiwanda High School in 1993. He played soccer for the Alta Loma Soccer Club which won the 1992 U-17 National Championship. He attended the

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...

, playing on the men's soccer team from 1993 to 1997. In August 1996, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in practice and lost the season. He returned in 1997 for his senior season and graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Club career

In 1996 and 1997, Sanchez spent the collegiate off-season with the

of the

. Sanchez and his teammates won the USISL championship both seasons. On February 1, 1998, the Kansas City Wizards selected Sanchez in the third round (thirty-second overall) of the 1998 MLS College Draft. The Wizards released him in the pre-season and he signed with the

Orange County Zodiac Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

of the

. Sanchez began the 1999 season with the Zodiac, but left in July when Fresno State hired him as an assistant coach. In 2001, he returned to playing with the Stanislaus County Cruisers.

Coaching career

In June 1999,

Northwood High School Northwood High School may refer to: * Northwood High School (Irvine, California) * Northwood High School (Louisiana) * Northwood High School (Montgomery County, Maryland) * NorthWood High School, Nappanee, Indiana * Northwood High School (North C ...

hired Sanchez to coach its boys’ soccer team. He resigned two months later to become an assistant coach with the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

men's soccer team. Fresno State dropped its men's soccer program after the 2003 season and Sanchez moved to the

Akron Zips Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city pr ...

. In 2006,

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

hired Sanchez as head coach of the men's soccer program. Following UNLV's first winning season in eight years, Sanchez resigned on February 5, 2010, moving to the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

, where he was an assistant coach and associate head coach 2011–2015. On January 27, 2015, Sanchez was named the head coach of the SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team.Mario Sanchez Selected as Men's Soccer Head Coach
/ref> On November 30, 2018, Sanchez resigned to accept the position of Director of Youth Development and Community Relations for

of the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

Collegiate record

Personal life

Sanchez earned a bachelor's in business administration from Fresno State. He holds a U.S. Soccer Federation 'A' License. Sanchez is married to the former Shana Stickel. The couple has four children: sons Sebastian and Santiago, and daughters Ella and Emme.

References

External links

UNLV Runnin Rebels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Mario 1975 births Living people American soccer coaches American soccer players Central Coast Roadrunners players Soccer players from California Fresno State Bulldogs men's soccer players Orange County Blue Star players Stanislaus County Cruisers players SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer coaches UNLV Rebels men's soccer coaches USL League Two players A-League (1995–2004) players Sporting Kansas City draft picks USL Second Division players Association football midfielders Akron Zips men's soccer coaches Fresno State Bulldogs men's soccer coaches Louisville Cardinals men's soccer coaches People from Rancho Cucamonga, California Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California USL League Two coaches Racing Louisville FC coaches National Women's Soccer League coaches