MARAMI ang pinahanga ng Makati Football Club matapos makasagupa ang ilan sa mga pinakamahuhusay na youth football clubs sa buong mundo sa katatapos na Gothia Cup sa Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sa limang koponang isinabak ng Makati FC, ang kanilang Boys 13 ang nakapagtala ng best performance, matapos makaabot sa knockout stages at mag qualify sa quarterfinals pagkaraang manaig sa tatlong laro.
Kabilang sa mga tinalo nila ang Walddorfer SV, 5-1, Lillestrom SK, 3-0, at Ukraine FC Pidshypnyk, 5-2, bago sila natalo,0-3 sa No. 1 seed team IF Brommapojkarna sa kanilang laban para sa semifinals berth.
Ikinatuwa naman ng mga opisyeles ng Makati FC sa pamumuno ng kanilang chief executive officer na si SeLu Lozano ang ipinakitang laro ng mga kabataang Pinoy kontra sa mga itinuturing na world’s best sa kanilang 37th consecutive Gothia Cup stint.
“Every year we compete in Gothia Cup we see the progress and we get to see what else we lack in terms of our program. With the talent we have now, and the current resources the club has, we are able to maximize what we have and we are able to find competition outside the Philippines to improve our players and give them the best opportunity to get good competitions in order to make them better,” ani Lozano.
Nagawa ring mag qualify ng Makati FC Boys 12 and 14 squads sa knockout rounds.
Umaasa naman ang pamunuan ng Makati FC na mapapakinabangan ng mga bata ang mga natutunan nila sa kompetisyon na nilahukan ng may 1,700 na mga koponan mula sa 80 mga bansa sa iba’t-ibang panig ng mundo sa mga susunod na international tournaments na lalahukan nila gaya ng Borneo Cup sa Oktubre 1-3 sa Malaysia, Singapore Cup sa Nobyembre 3-7 at Bangkok Cup sa Nobyembre 29- Disyembre 1.
“We see that competitions like the Gothia Cup creates a lot of value in terms of building our athletes. Having them exposed to the level of play that challenges them and gets them excited to go home and train some more to be better,” ayon pa kay Lozano.
“We are looking into more tournaments like the Gothia Cup and the Paris World Games that will give Makati FC the opportunity to compete in games that will offer the same caliber of competition,” aniya.
“Makati FC used to be a club that focuses on a more recreational football but seeing that the training program has emerged to something that creates real football players amongst our youth, The goal has shifted to building the team to get better and better to have these kids reach a certain level that will give them them the opportunity to become professional football players and eventually be able to represent our country.”
-Marivic Awitan