SAUCY SANCHEZ

by Michael Lewis


With the Milwaukee Wave trailing the host Monterrey Flash, 3-1, in the first quarter of its regular-season finale last March 24, Alex Sanchez took matters into his own hands.

Or should we say feet.

The second-year pro put a Ricardo Carvalho pass past goalkeeper Berna Valdovinos at 10:32.

He added an unassisted tally at 12:42.

"Emotions were high," Sanchez said. "I guess just the competitive juices were flowing. After I got one, I got two, I was like, let's keep this going."

And then came the piece de resistance. Sanchez completed his stunning trilogy with a spectacular unassisted goal. Sanchez ran about half the pitch before drilling a right-footed shot from the "yellow line" into the lower left corner to give the Wave a surprising 4-3 lead at 14:24.

"I had seen that the defenders were just backing down expecting for me to connect a pass," Sanchez said. "I had just seen the shot open. I just took it. Usually, I don't shy away from being able to take a shot, even if it's from the yellow line. If I see it open, I'm definitely going to take it."

Not just a hat-trick.

A natural hat-trick.

A natural hat-trick on the road in only three minutes and 52 seconds.

A natural hat-trick at Arena Borregos, a difficult venue for any visiting Major Arena Soccer League team to play. How difficult? The Flash went 24-0 during the regular season.


Wave head coach Giluiano Oliviero remembered those three goals well.

"It was the last game of our season. We were resting some players for the playoffs, so we went in there not knowing what to expect," he said. "It really felt like he put the team on his back. All of a sudden, they had to pick up their game because we had Sanchez with a hat-trick. We're in Monterrey, probably not with our best team on paper, and we're winning. So big credit to him in that game."

The Wave lost, 15-10, but Sanchez and his teammates made their point.

A couple of weeks later, Sanchez was a thorn in Monterrey's side again. He recorded two goals and two assists before leaving the game in an 8-7 home loss in the opening round of the playoffs.

Not surprisingly, Sanchez called those two contests his most memorable matches. "Just being able to do that against the high caliber team that they were," he said.

The Wave went on to eliminate the Flash, winning the regular match and mini-game in Monterrey.

The man nicknamed "Saucy Sanchez" had made his mark.

"Actually, it originated from that game in Monterrey," Sanchez said of the nickname. "I do a little stirring the pot thing, stirring the sauce."

The 23-year-old Sanchez has been doing plenty of stirring this season. He has picked up where he left off. He is enjoying a career season, already surpassing the numbers of his first two years and was rewarded with an appearance in the Feb. 12 MASL all-star game in Utica, N.Y.


"It's definitely an honor to be able to be called an all-star in this league, and to be able to share the field and just put on the show the rest of the guys being able to step the field with the stars of this league," he said. "With the year that I've been doing so far, just a good feeling to be able to be rewarded for the hard work has been done so far."

They say it can take up to two seasons or 40 or so games for a player to get fully acclimated to the indoor game.

Sanchez began to find his rhythm at the end of his second campaign.

In his rookie season in 2022-23, the Chicago native recorded six goals and two assists in 20 matches.

He improved to eight goals and three assists in 2023-24.


Then came this season, busting out to career highs in goals (10), assists (nine) and points (19). He is first in assists in the league, eighth in goals and second in points.

Sanchez has been consistent, scoring at least a goal in each of his seven appearances. He connected for a hat-trick and was named the first star of the game in Milwaukee's 14-5 win over the Texas Outlaws on Jan. 11.

"I can't complain," he said of his start. "The past two seasons have been a little glimpse of what I could do on the field and bring to the table. Things are happening naturally, just going out there, playing my game. Thankfully, everything's working out so far."




Oliviero was impressed with Sanchez from the first time he saw him play.

"From the moment he came in, we knew he was special," he said. "Obviously, coming into an organization like the Milwaukee Wave that's had a lot of success over the years, it probably took him more time than it would at another club to break in and be a mainstay. But we always knew he had that ability.

“This year, he kind of took the bull by the arms and said, 'You know what, I'm not going to be denied. You can't keep me out of the lineup.' And that's exactly what he's done. We're beyond happy. We feel we’ve got a very special player in Alex. Hopefully he's in Milwaukee for years to come."

The son of a former reserve team player for Atlas (Liga MX), Sanchez started his soccer journey when he was six. He played at Eric Solorio Academy High School before attending Roosevelt University for a year in 2021. He didn't play because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then came an opportunity to play professionally when Wave forward Derek Huffman suggested that he try out for the team.

"I've always liked indoor soccer," Sanchez said. "It was just a preference that I've had. When Derek brought it up, to be able to play that professionally, I was like, yeah, why not? Let's do it. I guess it was just the right place, right time. I had come to the realization that what I wanted to pursue soccer, full time. This is the opportunity that could start off my career."

Growing up in the Windy City, the 5-9, 150-lb. Sanchez said that he played indoor soccer half the time due to cold weather. So, that wasn't foreign to him, but there was plenty to learn, compared to Sunday leagues. MASL play is much quicker and more physical.

"The transition, just learning, the movements where to position myself correctly on the field, the passing patterns just getting all that into sync, into my game," he said. "Maybe halfway through last year is when I started connecting. The pressure of being new to the league just started slowly fading away. Everything just progressed naturally. Definitely coming into Milwaukee and being able my first two years, right off the bat, get a playoff experience and the maturity around the team, the vets that we have, was a perfect combination."

Vets such as the legendary and ageless Ian Bennett, 41, who scored his 400th career goal in December.

"When we talk about him, we talk about goals, we talk about points, for sure," Sanchez said. "He's been a good help, a good friend on and off the field. Just looking at him play. It's contagious. I look up to him. How can I not? He's doing what I want to do - score goals, contribute to the team, to wins, to championships."

He certainly has been doing plenty of that, this season.

Entering this weekend's action, Milwaukee (6-1-0, 17 points) is in second place behind the Chihuahua Savage (7-1-0, 20), unbeaten in its four home matches. The team hosts the Tacoma Stars on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7:05 p.m. ET.

"Just everybody is contributing," Sanchez said. "Everybody is realizing what their roles and responsibilities are and what they bring to the team. We're using that to our strength. Some guys have one-on-one ability. Some guys are good at passing, defending, or target play. It's just a perfect mixture of everything."

Sanchez liked Milwaukee's chances of winning its first MASL title since the 2018-19 season.

"Honestly, I could see us going all the way," he said. "I see our team is definitely as a championship team. Like I said, it's a perfect balance of everything. We just got to be clinical. But other than that, the talent, great coaching and everything, is there."

Right now, Sanchez is having the time of his life, playing soccer.

"I'm being able to just have fun," he said. "I guess you could say it's a slight escape …. It just gave me purpose to be able to work up the ranks."

In Alex Sanchez's case, it has been a rapid climb, with quite possibly much more to come.


Michael Lewis can be found on X (formerly Twitter) and BlueSky at @Soccerwriter.