# Vicente Sánchez

Vicente Martín Sánchez Bragunde (Spanish pronunciation:; born 7 December 1979) is a Uruguayan football manager and former footballer who played as a winger. He is the current head coach of Liga MX club Cruz Azul.

## Club career

Sánchez was born in Montevideo. He played for Sud América, Tacuarembó, Deportivo Toluca, FC Schalke 04, América and Nacional. On 18 January 2008, he joined German club Schalke, where he remained for two seasons. He played in Mexico again for Club América. On 1 August 2010, he scored his first goal for Club América in a match versus Chiapas.
Sánchez made the move to Major League Soccer on 6 August 2013 when he signed for Colorado Rapids. On 14 September 2013, he scored his first goal for Colorado and forced an own goal in a 2–1 win over FC Dallas.
Even with his playing time being carefully managed and his appearances limited to substitutions in the last half of most games, Sánchez was a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster 2015 season. Despite being a crowd favorite with the Colorado Rapids fans and the #2 scorer for the team, Sánchez's 2016 contract option was declined as the Colorado Rapids front office set out to acquire new talent in the form of players such as Marco Pappa, Shkëlzen Gashi, Jermaine Jones and Tim Howard. Sánchez went through the MLS Re-Entry Draft but was not selected by any other team.
He joined his hometown club Defensor Sporting for the 2016 Primera Division Clausura season and helped his team finish fourth, qualifying for the 2017 Copa Sudamericana.
Sánchez returned to MLS and joined the Houston Dynamo for the 2017 season. He helped the Dynamo reach the playoff and got the game winning assist in their opening game versus Sporting Kansas City.
On 2 April 2021, it was announced that Sánchez would come out of retirement to play and coach for USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC.

## Managerial career
### Cruz Azul

On 25 January 2025, Sánchez was named interim manager for Cruz Azul after Martín Anselmi's departure. After eight games in charge, Sánchez was ratified as the permanent manager on 23 February 2025.

## International career

He played for Uruguay national football team in the 2007 Copa América and has won 31 caps for the national side, scoring five goals.

### International goals

| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 13 July 2004 | Estadio Miguel Grau, Piura | Argentina | 2–2 | 2–4 (L) | 2004 Copa América |
| 2 | 24 July 2004 | Estadio Garcilaso de la Vega, Cuzco | Colombia | 1–2 | 1–2 (W) | 2004 Copa América |
| 3 | 18 October 2006 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo | Venezuela | 1–0 | 4–0 (W) | Friendly |
| 4 | 30 June 2007 | Estadio Polideportivo, San Cristóbal | Bolivia | 0–1 | 0–1 (W) | 2007 Copa América |
| 5 | 13 October 2007 | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo | Bolivia | 4–0 | 5–0 (W) | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Personal life

Sánchez holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.

## Managerial statistics

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Managerial record by team and tenure :
| Team | From | To | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Ref. |
| Team | From | To | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Ref. |
| Cruz Azul | 25 January 2025 | Present | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 10 | +18 | 064.29 | |
| Total | Total | Total | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 10 | +18 | 064.29 | — |

## Honours

Toluca
* Primera División de México: Apertura 2002, Apertura 2005
* CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 2003
Uruguay
* Copa América Third Place: 2004
Individual
* Mexican Primera División Golden Ball: Apertura 2006