Mingos are set at GK as Martin Sanchez returns

The second-year pro will once again back up Bernd Schipmann

Forward Madison announced today that backup goalkeeper Martin Sanchez will return for his second year with the club.

“We are happy to re-sign Martin for another year in Madison,” said Head Coach Matt Glaeser. “He is a hard-working goalkeeper with a high ceiling who improved drastically with us last season. His shot-stopping ability, distribution quality, and team-first mentality make him a great fit for our club.”

Originally from Bloomington, Minnesota, Sanchez was a member of the Minnesota Thunder Academy in the US Soccer Development. After committing to Northern Illinois University, Sanchez went on to make 26 starts in his second and third years, playing a team-high 1,263 minutes in the 2020-21 season.

Sanchez burst into the national spotlight during his senior year when he was named All-Mac First Team. He was one of two players to start all 20 matches and recorded eight shutouts in the process (tied for12th nationally).

That attention didn’t land him a spot on a pro roster right away — in fact, he was in the middle of applying for office cleaning jobs when Glaeser called last spring. Here’s a bit from our 2023 interview:

He saw action and acquited himself very well last year in two friendlies, one against UW and one against Atlante.

Given that Glaeser and assistnat John Pascarella are both goalkeepers, we can probably trust their assessment that not only is Martin an able backup, but a better backup than last year. That’s important not only to have someone to step in should Bernd go down, but to have a solid keeper in training for Chaney, Dieye, Bartman and everybody else to shoot at.

Speaking of which, another bit from our interview:

On another topic, I spoke with Cherif Dieye yesterday and will drop that interview tomorrow. His soccer background, if you don’t know it, is quite surprising. Watch your inbox and podcast feeds!