HARARE Zimbabwes Young Warriors go into the Metropolitan COSAFA Under-20 battlefield against the Young Zebras of Botswana tomorrow in South Africa without sharp-shooting marksman Knowledge Musona Tomorrows Group C encounter between Zimbabwe and Botswana follows todays opening tie between hosts South Africa and Namibia at Dobsonvile Stadium in Soweto at 1630hrs.
But the Young Warriors, who have other talented performers in their cast will in the absence of the mercurial Musona turn to the equally talented Ajax Cape Town forward Archieford Gutu in their quest to wrestle away the regional title from South Africas Amajimbos.
Gutu is expected to lead the charge against one of the tournaments dark horses, and of course the Young Warriors know that a defeat in the opening match tomorrow would not do the nation proud.
I would like to urge those that will make the starting line-up to give the nation some hope and confidence that the Metropolitan-COSAFA tournament can always be won, Musona told The Zimbabwean on Sunday last week. We did it before in Mpumalanga, and what stops us from doing the same this time around, he said.
On paper coach Methembe Ndlovus Young Warriors look a balanced side that has the quality to go all the way in this 13-nation tournament. With a sharp frontline where the attacking talents of Gutu and Khama Billiart can pierce even the tightest of defences spearheading their charge, a mobile midfield providing the creativity and a steely defence repelling anything their opponents would throw at them this band of Young Warriors looks destined to emulate their seniors who last month conquered the region in Harare.
Since the inception of the tournament three years ago, Zimbabwe have only managed to take the trophy home once when the silky skills of the likes of CAPS Uniteds little magician Tafadzwa Makanaka Rusike and the supremely talented Ovidy Karuru helped the Young Warriors lift the trophy at Mpumalangas Thulamahashe Stadium in 2007. Host nation South Africa have dominated the championships clinching victory twice in Mafikeng (2006) and Northern Cape last year.
Thirteen national Under-20 side drawn from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and hosts South Africa are taking part in this tournament. They are pooled in four groups of three with Group A the only one with four teams. The only nation which failed to make it to South Africa is Mozambique because of financial constraints.
Post published in: Football