AC Delray 2015 boys Elite coach Jobinho Arthur is in his first year with the program, but he said he is happy with his squad’s progress.
The team defeated the Boynton Knights 3-2 in their first game, and fell to the Coral Springs Soccer Academy at the Seacrest Soccer Complex in the AC Delray Labor Day Jamboree.
“Well, it’s a preseason thing, so our goal wasn’t to go and win both games,” Arthur said. “Our goal was to see what level our team is currently at. It has been a while since the boys played together.”
Arthur said the team played well in the jamboree and said a lot of the training they have been doing has been coming into play.
“Our main focus now is how we can get ready for the upcoming season,” he said. “At the jamboree, we noticed many faults, especially with our defense, now we’re working to fix that in training. Coming from an undefeated spring season, we are strong, but we can always improve and be better.”
Stephan Von Lattorff, director of coaching for AC Delray, said there were 52 teams entered. He put the event together and didn’t charge an entry fee. There were also no awards handed out in order to give each team two games to showcase their players and test their talents. Teams only provided money to pay the referees.
“It was a kickoff event for the U8, U9 and U10 teams, Von Lattorff said. “The idea was to give them two games under a live and friendly atmosphere. We wanted them to have fun, and we didn’t keep standings.
“Everybody just played to play and get back into the rhythm of things,” he said. “For some of the U8s and U9s, this is probably their first game ever. We had teams from Palm Beach County mostly and a few from Broward County.”
Von Lattorff said he likes to see the progression of players from throughout the season.
“There has been a lot of planning to get the players together and playing,” he said. “Now you get to finally see them in uniform on the fields and they are starting to figure it out. All the mistakes now, they will correct in a few month’s time.”
