Lights FC Head Coach Dennis Sanchez
On his overall impressions on the match…
We said before, we want to be tested against the best. When we saw who they were bringing in the lineup, it got our players even more up for the game. I’m really proud of the effort that they put in, the commitment to playing our way as well. We went back to finding that identity as a group. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t get more out of the game, but overall there were a lot of positive pieces that we can build off moving forward.
On goalkeeper Nicholas Ammeter’s impressive performance in his club debut…
We have a good group of goalkeepers in here, which was our intention. Nicholas was really professional in the way that he’s approached the training process and waiting for his opportunity. He did really well tonight. He controlled the line well, he was good with his decision-making and obviously came up with some big saves for us too.
On starting the match in a formation with a False 9…
We’ve looked at different ways to create central overloads, one being a winger coming inside and a fullback gaining height. While we wanted to create central overloads, we also wanted to ensure that we had stability especially behind the ball in transition moments.
On how his team battled against one of the best teams in the region…
I said to the guys after the match to hold their heads high and that we have to build on this. I know they were motivated for this match, but we have to be equally, if not more, motivated for the match on Saturday against San Antonio and the match after that. We know it’s there, and it’s about how we can create that energy and that desire more consistently.
On turning the page quickly to San Antonio this weekend…
First off, rest and recover, which starts immediately. We’ve played them, so we know some of their tendencies. It’s not going to be an easy game by any means, but we’re hopeful that we can get in there and take three points.