Broward Ballas FC Owner Michael Alvarez Previews the Club’s UPSL Season
The club from Deerfield Beach, Florida will compete in UPSL Division 1’s Florida South Zone 1.
The Broward Ballas of Deerfield Beach, Florida were founded in 2024 by Michael Alvarez. They are set to play in UPSL Division 1 this spring when their season kicks off on April 6 at home vs. Miami FC’s academy at 7:30 EST (the first match was postponed). Before it begins, we sat down with Alvarez, who is also the coach of the team this year, to review preseason action and discuss the club’s identity and expectations for 2025.
How has preseason been for the club?
Alvarez: The club has been getting along good, a shaky preseason (draw against International Soccer Association (ISA) from UPSL Premier, two losses to Baile FC from Division 1) but we’re starting to turn it around. We have added an extra practice throughout the week and now are training three times a week. It’s really bringing the team bond together. On Tuesday for the Argentina versus Brazil game, we had a barbecue with all of us, the coaches and players. That was a lot of fun, really good team bonding event for us and yeah, it’s starting to gel together; just taking some extra time and trying to fix out the little things.
What positives can you draw from the preseason matches, from individual players and the team as a whole? In contrast, what needs to be worked on before the season to challenge in the UPSL?
A positive I would say that we could draw is the fact that we realize that we have talent, we’re just not using it in the proper way. We need to work a lot on building chemistry, our patience, our time, and just trying to focus on playing the right way and do the right things instead of maybe rushing a little too much. That’s what we’ve been doing. A lot of practice has a lot of possession-based drills and such things like that because we need to really focus on being patient with the ball, taking time with the ball, finding the right pass, not forcing stuff, trying to play together, learn how each other play.
I’d say the preseason matches are good, especially because it shows me some of the players individually, how they play, what their main focus is even if they’re directed a certain other way. So, it really shows me who my starters are set aside from my bench players.
Mentioning starters, who are some players you believe will stand out for the team this season?
Luca Napoleone may say he plays just as Messi does! Jose Comella is a CDM and a very good midfielder. Andre Pacheco, our striker, can be expected for a decent amount of goals.
You’ve mentioned a patient, possession-based focus, but how else will the team set up tactically and play this season?
So tactically, we line up in a 4-2-3-1. We play with our winger, kind of playing lower and only going really high up during the attack. We do build out the back through our full backs to try to find the midfielders, and our midfielders are usually the ones distributing our attack, obviously not always but that’s how we like to play. We like to keep our touches very limited. We want to focus on a Tiki-Taka style of play. And, one of our main focuses is to have the fullbacks involved a lot in our attacking play.
What are your expectations for the club this season? In the 11-team Florida South Zone 1 division, can the team compete against Miami FC’s academy, Baile FC, and others for promotion to UPSL Premier?
I would say as of the pace that we’re on right now, I can’t give a definitive answer. I would say they were definitely improving, but I’m not sure if we’ll be able to keep the pace and maybe fight for even the number one spot right now. We might be fighting for the top five, but we’ll see throughout the season, you know? We take it game by game, practice by practice. We try to work on what we need to work on and at the end of the day if the players want it, they’re gonna try to make it happen. So, we’ll see what they can do.
Come back to Southeast Soccer Report throughout this season for more coverage of Broward Ballas FC!