How Mdaka managed to put together Amajita competitive squad within short space of time

Coach Raymond Mdaka has explained how he assembled a competitive Amajita squad in a short timeframe, despite facing challenges due to the absence of key players.

Amajita were crowned the 2024 COSAFA Under-20 Championship winners this past weekend after defeating Zambia 2-0 in Matola, Mozambique.

The SA U-20 team demonstrated their strength throughout the regional competition, remaining undefeated and scoring an impressive 16 goals without conceding a single one.

Amajita’s impressive displays at the tournament got many football fanatics commending their fighting spirit and flying the SA flag high.

By reaching the tournament finals, the SA U-20 qualified for the CAF 2025 AFCON tournament, where they can book a ticket to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup set to be held in Chile next year.

RAYMOND MDAKA ON ASSEMBLING STRONG AMAJITA SQUAD

Mdaka stated that after their first camp in March, they continued to monitor the players, noting that the friendly games against Lesotho were also beneficial, even though they didn’t have a sufficient pool of players.

Amajita were without noteworthy players like Mamelodi Sundowns‘ Asekho Tiwani, Kaizer Chiefs rising star Mfundo Vilakazi, and Langelihle Phili of Stellenbosch FC, to mention a few.

“You know, sometimes people only see these things when they happen, but it’s a process. Remember, we started with the first camp somewhere around March,” Mdaka told FARPost.

“We had a camp, and from there, they went back to their respective teams. We kept monitoring the players, and we went to Lesotho to play friendly games, and then we came back.

“It’s just a process, especially if you understand how you want to do things. So, that’s how we managed to put together a competitive team for this tournament.”

THE CHALLENGES FACED BY RAYMOND MDAKA WHEN ASSEMBLING AMAJITA SQUAD

The coach went on to single out the challenge they faced going into the COSAFA U20 Championship.

“Well, challenges will always be there. However, we haven’t faced many challenges, except for the fact that it was outside the FIFA calendar. Most of the PSL teams were busy. So, some of the players we identified were part of those teams,” he added.

“So, that’s the little challenge we encountered going into this tournament. But it’s something that we understood as the technical team.”

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