Despite falling short in their recent preseason US Tour, defending CAF Women’s Champions League champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, have emerged from the experience with renewed determination.
The South African giants participated in the Women’s Cup tournament in Kansas City, USA, where they faced stiff competition from the host nation’s Kansas City Current and Japan’s Inac Kobe FC.
The team suffered defeats in both matches, losing 3-0 to Kansas City and 2-0 to Inac Kobe. However, coach Jerry Tshabalala believes the exposure to such high-level opposition has been invaluable.
“Playing against teams of this calibre has highlighted areas where we need to improve,” Tshabalala said. “We identified weaknesses in our defensive organization, which is something we must address to maintain our dominance.”
Tshabalala emphasized that the experience will serve as motivation for the team to strive for even greater heights.
“Competing against top-tier clubs is essential for our growth,” he added. “We’re determined to seek out more opportunities like this to measure ourselves against the best in the world.”
As the team returns home, they will shift their focus to domestic competitions and the upcoming defence of their CAF Women’s Champions League title.
Sundowns will be looking to build on their impressive performance in the previous edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League, where they clinched their second consecutive title with a 3-0 victory over Morocco’s SC Casablanca.
