Assistant Coach: William Sanchez
Coaching philosophy:
"As a coach I want to encourage and guide my athletes throughout their soccer journey. The coach assumes many roles including: learner, guide, role model, inventor, innovator, and mentor. A coach must recognize that learning and increasing an athlete’s love for the sport are the most important goals. The coach succeeds when their athletes understand and appreciate their training.
Therefore, the coach must be flexible, accommodating, and persistent to support constant learning. The involvement of the athlete in soccer is active, participatory, and hands-on. Athletes learn best by actively participating in practice and immediately applying what they learned to different game situations.
Athletes need to be given the opportunity to develop their skills, character, and sportsmanship in an environment that is conducive to learning. In addition to modeling a desire to learn, practice and persevere through challenges, the coach plays an important role in creating this environment. Furthermore, the coach needs to demonstrate effective leadership through actions on and off the field."
William Sanchez grew up in Irving, Texas, and played for numerous soccer clubs, including soccer clubs that competed in the Classic League. His soccer career began with the Texas Longhorns during the years of 2001-2003. He then transitioned to a team based in Oak Cliff, Texas, called O.C. United Soccer Club, which competed in the Classic League. During his tenure at O.C. United, Coach Sanchez had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and participate in a soccer tournament in San Luis and played against top Mexican soccer teams such as, Pachuca, Cruz Azul, and Toluca.
At Irving High School, Coach Sanchez was a member of the varsity soccer team during his sophomore, junior, and senior year. Coach won several accolades during his time in high school, including first team all-district during his sophomore, junior, and senior year.
When he graduated from high school in 2011, he joined the Crusaders at the University of Dallas and played for the academic year of 2011-2012.
Today, he continues to live in Irving, Texas, and is studying to become a teacher at the University of North Texas. His expected graduation year is Spring of 2018.