MANILA, Philippines – Makati FC is currently in Europe, where they will participate in two major youth competitions.

The club will make its 37th consecutive appearance in the Gothia World Youth Cup, which takes place on July 14-20 in Gothenburg, Sweden, right after its debut in the Paris World Games.

Thanks to a series of good performances in the past few years, Makati FC has been getting invitations from several countries to compete in their tournaments.

For the first time, the club was invited to the Paris World Games which will serve as their build-up to the Gothia Cup.

The club, which brought over 70 players from five teams (boys born 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and girls born 2005), left the country last Saturday.

Makati FC founder Tomas Lozano has been bringing teams to compete in the Gothia Cup since 1983. He received the Gothia Cup Hall of Fame award last 2007 in Sweden for 25 years of continuous participation and received another in 2012 for 30 years participation.

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"Gothia Cup is the world's largest and most international youth football tournament. Each year, around 1,700 teams from 80 countries take part and they play 4,500 games on 110 fields," said SeLu Lozano, son of Tomas Lozano and CEO of Makati FC.

"It's the teams, and participants from around the world that make the tournament unique. And having to be part of something as big as Gothia Cup, bringing 5 teams from the Philippines this year is something that the club is very proud of," he added.

"What our players get to experience is nothing short of spectacular, not just in terms of exposure for football but as growing individuals who have the potential to be future leaders of our country. Empowering our youth through football is what Makati FC is all about."

The players are looking forward to participating in the tournament. Among them is Lance Locsin, a Makati FC Boys 14 standout who was discovered from Bacolod and now is a scholar of Makati FC studying in De La Salle Zobel.

"We will do our best to win in Gothia Cup and Paris. Football has given me everything in my life. The better I do in my football career around the world, the more opportunities will open up for me. My family back home is also helped by the club because of football," said Locsin.

"My dream is to play professional football abroad, and through Makati FC, I have a realistic chance," he added.

Locsin went to the club's Japan training camp last May 31-June 3 in preparation for the Paris World Games and Gothia Cup in Sweden.
His teammate Alfonso Gonzalez, who is now on his fourth stint in the Gothia Cup, is looking forward for the bigger picture.

"Since we have been there and won bronze, this year, we're going to try to win Gothia Cup and Paris World Games," said Gonzalez, who was part of the teams that placed third in 2015 and 2016.

"Through this trip I get to be exposed to a higher level of competition so I am able to hone my skills better as compared to playing locally. So when I go home, I know I am a much better goal keeper than I was before the trip," he also said.

"My biggest dream is to play in Europe professionally, and that dream is already half way there because I get to play in Gothia Cup."

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