By Antynet Ford
Kenya will commence their 2024 Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup campaign with an inaugural Group B clash against Zambia on Thursday evening at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Despite not being a member of the COSAFA region, Kenya received an invitation to participate in the tournament following Malawi’s withdrawal and aims to assess their performance against teams from Southern Africa.
The competition will feature the U23 team, commonly referred to as Emerging Stars, representing the nation in the 12-team tournament divided into three groups of four teams each. The Emerging Stars, under the tutelage of Harambee Stars assistant coach Ken Odhiambo, are placed in Group B alongside Zimbabwe and Comoros.
In anticipation of the tournament kickoff, Odhiambo elaborated on the decision to involve the Emerging Stars in the competition.
“The qualifiers are scheduled to commence in September or thereabouts. We deemed it beneficial to evaluate the U23 team and determine their potential inclusion in the senior team.
We are familiar with the capabilities of our senior players, and this tournament will provide the U23 players with an opportunity to showcase their readiness for Harambee Stars,”stated the former Sofapaka coach.“This endeavor entails a degree of risk, but the potential rewards justify it. In reality, this progression has been eagerly awaited as Rome was not constructed in a day. We are advancing from the foundation to the pinnacle,” Odhiambo added.
Emerging Stars captain Ronney Onyango expressed confidence in his teammates for the competition while urging the team to commence strongly in South Africa.”We are here to compete, prepared to reach the apex of the tournament. We hold Zambia in esteem but do not harbor any apprehensions.
We are prepared to confront them, compete, and achieve favorable outcomes,”affirmed the Gor Mahia standout.
Out of the 12 participating teams, only four will secure berths in the semifinals.
The group victors and the top-ranking second-place finisher from the three pools will progress to the penultimate stage.
Kenya’s Traveling Squad
Goalkeepers
Byrne Omondi, Ibrahim Wanzala, Dolph Junior
Defenders
Alphonce Omija, Paul Ochuoga, Sylvester Owino, Geoffrey Onyango, Amos Wanjala
Midfielders
Stanley Wilson, Elly Owande, Chrispine Erambo, Aldrine Kibet, Austine Odhiambo, Patrick Otieno, John Ochieng, Kaycie Odhiambo, William Gitamu, Rooney Onyango
Forwards
Benson Omalla, Jeremy Bissau, Alfred Tanui, Hassan Beja, Moses Shummah
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