NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The last time New Mexico United was on the pitch, it was the coach on the other sideline who walked off victorious. Now, he's switched sides. "There's few times where you come across situations where everything is aligned up perfectly and I feel like that was very much the case here," said Dennis Sanchez. On Wednesday New Mexico United formally introduced Dennis Sanchez as the fourth head coach in club history. He inherits a team that is coming off the most successful year in club history and is tasked with keeping the continuity and continuing to build. In addition to success on the field, Sanchez also said the job was attractive to him for everything New Mexico United represents off the field. He said its special to find an organization that cares so much about the community and it was an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. "New Mexico United is more than just a soccer club in Albuquerque and in New Mexico," said United owner/CEO Peter Trevisani. Its a way for us to export New Mexico to the rest of the world and its really become a point of pride and so we needed a coach that couldnt just lead us on the field but also that we knew could lead us in the community, could embrace the ethos." On the pitch, Sanchez plans to implement a similar style of play that United supporters are accustomed to. In his one season as a head coach, his squad ranked in the top five for both goals scored and clean sheets. Both rankings were higher than New Mexico. "We want to be the protagonist," Sanchez said. "We want to be in control of not only the ball, but also space. Pressure is a privilege. I know it was the best year in club history last year and we're going to build upon that but we're excited to do that and we want to embrace having a target on our back." Sanchez comes from a player development background and has experience leading an an academy program. He said he plans to take full advantage of the current United Academy and continue to grow it. He also wants to retain the top young talent in the state. "I've always felt that if a player is good enough, they're old enough. And so there is always something unique about bringing in local players. I think they can be very much the heartbeat of your club. I think the biggest thing I can focus on right now is to be present, be in the moment and really build a successful championship winning team here." New Mexico United opens the season on March 8th on the road against Sacramento Republic.