CBS U/19 crashes Kasaona FA 2-1
… Dama FC win 3-1 against Baller Boys U/17
After a month-long school holiday break, the MTC HopSol Youth League resumed the second leg of the season last week. A total of 37 games were played across various fields, with the U/11, U/15, U/17, and U/19 age groups in action.
Collin Benjamins Soccer Talents U/19 (CBS) continued their fine form from before the holiday break, beating Kasaona Football Academy 2-1. A well-balanced match throughout saw Craig Muukweli and Ismael April score for CBS, while Marcelinio Smith scored for Kasaona FA.
Coach Henrico Botes from CBS felt the encounter was tough, as they were a formidable team to play against, and they always have to dig deep when they face off.
blockquote>CBS against Kasaona it’s always a tough encounter, physicality because these are the U/19 boys, which is good, we would like to see, but all in all, from CBS side, I think we played really well, especially the first 20 minutes, we were on top of them, controlled the game in all facets of the game, I was very happy,
– he said.
Botes felt that his boys have to be reminded of how to make the right choices when they are on the field, so they do not lose concentration.
You need to keep on reminding them that they have to do the right things at the right time. We tried; we are a team that likes to build up from the back. As coaches, we like to instil that they have to try, but sometimes, with confidence, they get carried away. We conceded just before halftime, and that was it,
– he said.
Second half, quite a cagey affair. It could have gone either way, I think, but all in all, I’m happy with the performance, especially the first half, and with the three points, because that means we got another win. So, for that, I’m happy with the boys’ performance. After a long lay-off, it’s always difficult to get them back up to speed, up and running, after the holidays. I think from here we can just improve and get better,
– he elaborated.
Further stating that the preparations were somewhat challenging, and attendance remains an issue.
These are aspects we need to address and improve upon. Overall, the preparation was solid, but there’s always room for improvement in any football game or situation. I told my team we can learn from this performance and aim to do better in the next game, and I hope we will be ready and at our best,
– he shared.
Coach Mamie Kasaona from Kasaona FA credited CBS as good rivals but felt they gave away a penalty too easily in the first half.
It was a good game. We are always good rivals. I should say it started off on the wrong foot. You know, when you give a cheap penalty like that, it breaks the momentum and the players’ morale. Other than that, I can say that they have a better understanding. They are starting to understand tactics,
– noted the coach.
Kasaona believes her boys are now equal in how they approach their matches, both mentally and in their football performance.
You can see the display; you can watch the highlights. These are teams that know what they are doing. It can’t have gone either way. We could not have utilised and capitalised on our chances. But other than that, in terms of tactics, everything was on par. It was just luck that was on the other side,
– she said.
Congrats to CBS for us, we go back on the drawing board and see what we can do for the second round. A holiday is not really an excuse, as I always say. Because at the end of the day, a boy or a child, if the hardest thing is football, they always make sure that they do extra, they play at the village football and so forth. But other than that, I normally use my U/19 more in the third division, which really gives us an upper hand in terms of preparation. And again, thank you to the parents who make sure that, even though it was a holiday, they still gave me the right to train them and keep them busy throughout the weekend. You can see that they really wanted to win,
– said Kasaona.
She also feels that her boys are always ready and understanding, especially since it’s about development rather than winning.
It’s not always about winning. Winning, yes, it’s results oriented. But I also want to say, how do you move on and off the ball? Where do I want you when you’re down to one man? When do I want you to play? In terms of counter-press, whenever the opponent loses the ball. So, I want to see a few things, despite the results, that have the player growth. That is my main objective when it comes to development
, – she concluded.
Elsewhere
Dama Football Club’s U/17 picked up their three points when they beat Baller Boys 3-1 at the Jan Möhr football field. The holiday rustiness was evident, as the boys did not have enough time for preparation.
Coach Silas Katangolo from Dama FC admitted that they still needed more time on the training ground before they could get back to normal ways.
The boys, one can clearly see that they are unfit. The boys are coming from the holiday. But we will get there with time. We only had one week. So it wasn’t that we didn’t do it as we were supposed to, but I’m happy with the result,
– said Katangolo.
It’s our first game after the holiday, so there’s still a lot that we can do. As you can see, we are also lacking some discipline and all that. So, there’s a lot that we have to work on.
Strauss Lunyangwe
Caption:
Photo 1: Saved… CBS beat Kasaona FA 2-1 at the Trustco United football field.
Photo 2: Tough game… The MTC HopSol Youth League U/19 games took place at the Trusto United field over the weekend.
Photo 3: Tough luck… Brave Soccer Club U/19 beat Saint Paul’s College 1-0.
Photos: Tangi Mulundu
Results
JAFC a 23-0 SPC U/15 Group B
SPC 2-6 Swallows U/19 Group B
Swallows 3-0 SPC U/15 Group B
WHK Gym 3-1 SPC U/19 Group B
JAFC a 16-0 Eros PS U/9 Group A
DTS 7-1 KFA U/9 Group A
JAFC c 1-8 Brave SC U/9 Group B
JAFC b 4-2 DTS b U/11 Group A
SKWa 10-1 Bricks FA U/11 Group A
JAFC a 6-1 DTS a U/11 Group B
WHK Gym 1-1 Dama SA U/13 Group A
JAFC 2-0 SKW U/13 Group A
Rhynies Stars 1-0 Pamoja Football U/13 Group A
Eros PS 0-0 Warriors FA U/13 Group B
ORS 0-7 KFA U/13 Group B
MH Greef 4-3 Baller Boys U/13 Group B
Bricks FA 4-1 Eros PS U/13 Group B
DTS 0-2 Warriors FA U/13 Group B
Swallows 1-7 Baller Boys U/13 Group B
Whk Gym 4-1 SPC U/15 Group B
Bricks FA 0-6 Baller Boys U/15 Group A
KFA 13-0 ORS U/15 Group A
Dama SA 3-1 Baller Boys U/17 Group A
Riverheights FA 1-1 Kasaona FA U/17 Group A
Whk Gym 2-0 KFA U/17 Group B
Prolific SC 0-3 JAFC a U/15 Group B
Riverheights FA 11-0 SKW b U/15 Group B
Kasaona FA 2-0 Brave SC U/15 Group A
Prolific SC 2-1 Quest 11 U/15 Group B
SKW a 2-0 Dama SA U/15 Group A
SKW b 1-3 Warriors FA U/15 Group B
Brave SC 1-0 SPC U/19 Group B
Kasaona FA 1-2 CBS U/19 Group A
JAFC 0-1 Riverheights FA U/19 Group A
Brave SC 1-2 Prolific SC U/19 Group B
ORS 0-4 DTS U/19 Group A
