Ricardo Sánchez (born May 27, 1982) is a former

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

footballer.

Career

Club

Sánchez began his career in his native Mexico, playing for numerous Primera División A teams, including the reserve teams of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

and Atlas in his hometown of

, as well as Irapuato,

UAT UAT may refer to: * Unit auxiliary transformer, step-down transformer supplies voltage to auxiliary loads of power station * Correcaminos UAT, a Mexican association football club based in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas * '' Union Aéromaritime de T ...

and

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...

. Sánchez came to the United States in 2007 to play for the USL First Division expansion franchise

California Victory The California Victory was a USL First Division professional soccer team based in San Francisco, California. It was an expansion team for the 2007 season, but ceased operation in September of that year after parent club Deportivo Alavés withd ...

. When the Victory folded at the end of their first season he would sign with the Minnesota Thunder, the same team he scored an overtime goal against in the Open Cup earlier that season. In his first year with the Thunder Sánchez co-lead the team in goals, finishing with 10. He also accumulated four assists during the season. The 2009 season would be a very productive year for Sánchez. He notched seven goals and co-lead the league in assists with eight, sharing the honor with Wes Knight. Sánchez also finished the season with 72 shots, ranking him second in the league behind

Charles Gbeke Charles Gbeke (born March 15, 1978) is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Born in Ivory Coast, he made three appearances for the Canada national team. Gbeke began his career with brief stints with Seattle Sounders and ...

on 73. At the conclusion of the 2009 season Sánchez was named to the USL First Division All-League First Team. Following his release from his Thunder contract, Sánchez signed with Vancouver Whitecaps on November 18, 2009. He was traded to FC Tampa Bay, along with Whitecaps teammate Jonny Steele, in July 2010. Tampa Bay declined his 2011 contract option.

International

Sánchez has played for the Mexico U-17 national team, captaining the squad which took part in the 1999 U17 World Cup in New Zealand.

References

External links

Minnesota Thunder bio
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Ricardo 1982 births Living people Mexican footballers Footballers from Guadalajara, Jalisco USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Atlas F.C. footballers Irapuato F.C. footballers C.D. Guadalajara footballers Correcaminos UAT footballers California Victory players Minnesota Thunder players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Tampa Bay Rowdies players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Expatriate soccer players in Canada Association football midfielders