Las Vegas Lights FC Head Coach Dennis Sanchez
On his overall impressions on the match…
We came out a little bit slower than I would like in terms of executing our gameplan…We had a good response at halftime and came out and really dominated the second half. I feel for the guys because it feels like another game where we could have had three points. The goals are almost there. Phoenix is a good team, there’s a reason why they won the championship last year and have a lot of returning players. We’re going to keep building on our performances and know that we’re very close to making these ties, or even games we’re losing, into wins.
On Solomon Asante being lively against his former team…
Solomon has definitely grown in each game throughout the year. We know he has the quality to create and score goals and also defend well too. He had another strong performance tonight. I know he’s been itching for a goal himself and he’s close to finding it.
On Shawn Smart’s great performance…
Shawn always brings energy. He’s got a really strong competitive spirit, and he’s the type of player where if the game is asking for somebody to step up, he has that ability. He had some really good plays…He put himself in really good positions and also defended well tonight too.
On the clean sheet and limiting opportunities defensively…
We always talk about how everybody attacks, everybody defends…We’re also taking into account the heat. As much as we want to press on every action, we have to adapt to the heat and be more efficient with our energy. I’m happy with the shutout for the guys.
On preparing for Miami FC at home next weekend…
Every game is important, but this is an important stretch for us. We’re going to keep building off our performances and areas that we can improve upon and we’re looking to get three points next weekend.