TULSA – FC Tulsa announced Tuesday that Mario Sanchez will be the club’s new Head Coach and Technical Director.
Sanchez brings a wealth of experience and proven success across multiple levels of the game, and his arrival signifies FC Tulsa’s commitment to building a competitive and successful organization both on and off the field. His most recent role was Technical Director and Assistant Coach at NWSL’s Racing Louisville FC. After the club’s inaugural season in 2021, Sanchez served as Interim Head Coach.
“I could not be more excited to lead FC Tulsa into a new era. The commitment from the Craft family to establish FC Tulsa into a USL club that competes for championships on a yearly basis is an opportunity that I am humbled to be a part of. Furthermore, their dedication to growing soccer in the greater Tulsa area speaks volume about their commitment to their community. I am looking forward to getting onto the field to work with our players and representing our fans with an exciting brand of soccer.”
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Mario to the FC Tulsa family” said FC Tulsa Owner, Ryan Craft. “Mario’s extensive coaching background, his dedication to player development, and his passion for the game make him the perfect fit to lead our club into the future. We are confident that his proven leadership qualities both on and off the field will elevate FC Tulsa to new heights.”
Before taking on the role of Technical Director and Assistant Coach at Racing Louisville FC, Sanchez served as the Academy Director for both Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville. During this tenure, he played a pivotal role in developing Louisville’s academy, turning it into the most successful academy in the USL. This success manifested in the promotion of six players to first-team contracts. Notably, Josh Wydner emerged as a standout success story, transitioning from the USL Academy to earning a call-up to the Senior USA Men’s National Team and securing a transfer to a top European club, Benfica. Sanchez, alongside FC Tulsa, is committed to cultivating similar success stories and nurturing player pathways right here in Green Country.
Sanchez, a California native, played collegiate soccer at Fresno State. After his college career, he played professionally for several years while also working as an assistant coach at his alma mater.
Sanchez started his coaching career at Fresno State in 1999, contributing as an assistant coach until 2003. Soon after, Sanchez became the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2006. In 2009, Sanchez led UNLV’s soccer program to their first winning season since 2002 with a record of 8-7-4.
In 2010, he made the move to the University of Louisville, where he was Assistant Coach for one season and Associate Head Coach from 2011 to 2015. Notably, during his time at the University of Louisville, the program produced 12 Major League Soccer draft picks and Sanchez was named as a top assistant by College Soccer News.
In 2015, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIU-E) announced Sanchez as the head coach of the men’s soccer program.
In 2016, Sanchez led SIU-E to its most successful season since returning to NCAA Division I, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the College Cup.
In the coming weeks, FC Tulsa will announce preseason meet and greet opportunities as well as open training sessions for season ticket members and fans to meet Mario as well as the new players announced over the offseason. Subscribe to the FC Tulsa email newsletter at https://www.fctulsa.com/ and follow us on socials to stay up to date on all things FC Tulsa.
