Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies will perhaps face their toughest test ever when they take on Kansas City Current in the 2024 Women’s Cup in Missouri in the USA.
The match will be played on Thursday morning (15 August 2024) at 03h00 SA time and will be broadcast live on SABC 1.
This is will be the first time an African team plays in the prestigious four-team tournament, with Spain’s Athlético de Madrid and INAC Kobe from Japan also in the mix.
The South Africans will go toe to toe against the hosts at the CPKC Stadium – the home of Kansas City Current, which is also the first ever venue built for professional women’s football.
The two teams come into the tournament in fine form.
Sundowns Ladies have been dominating the scene both domestically and on the continent. Since the launch of the elite women’s football league in South Africa in the 2019/20 season, the Brazilians are the only ones with their name on the trophy – a record five titles.
As if that was not enough, they went on to conquer the recently introduced CAF Women’s Champions League, winning the inaugural competition in 2021 and again last year. In between, the title went to AS FAR of Morocco.
Sundowns Ladies are in the hunt for more continental success and return to the tournament as the defending champions later this year, and they are still in the running for their sixth domestic triumph in the Hollywoodbets Super League.
After 20 matches, they lead the log standings on 53 points, nine ahead of second-placed University of the Western Cape (UWC) who have two games in hand.
Sundowns Ladies have lost only a single match in 20 league games, with two draws. They netted a massive 80 goals and conceded 12 in the process – the lowest thus far.
The South Africans will rely mainly on their experienced campaigners who have international experience having represented their country – the likes of goalkeepers Andile Dlamini and Sedilame Bosija (Botswana), defenders Bambanani Mbane, Zanele Nhlapho, Tiisetso Makhubela, Karabo Dhlamini, Lebohang Ramalepe, midfielders Kholosa Biyana, Nonhlanhla Mthandi as well as forwards Melinda Kgadiete, Nthabiseng Majiya and Boitumelo Rabale (Lesotho).
“It’s an honour to be playing in this tournament and we are privileged to be representing Africa in this prestigious tournament, more so as the first team from this continent to feature there. I feel like we are being recognised and we must actually deliver,” said Sundowns Ladies midfielder Oratile Mokwena.
“We are expecting very tough opponents, and we know it’s not going to be easy. We are going to face to people who can really play and can be very competitive. They are a ball-playing team, they have a pacy striker they look forward to and our defenders have to be very alert at all times.”
In 16 rounds of fixtures, KC Current have only been defeated once – a 2-1 loss to current National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) log leaders, Orlando Pride. They have won 10 games and drew five, with 40 goals to their name and 22 against.
KC Current have also been involved in the inaugural NWSL vs Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup winning all four matches. En route to the final, which will be played in October, they brushed aside Houston Dash (USA) 3-1, defeated Pachuca (Mexico) 3-0, beat Thembi Kgatlana’s UANL Tigres (Mexico) 4-1, and were victorious 2-0 against North Carolina Courage (USA). In the process, they scored 12 and conceded only two.
“It’s going to be a difficult one, but not the kind of hurdle we can’t cross. They are good side and tend to play and make it very simple, but we are not focused on ourselves. The goal is to win, the objective is to dominate as Mamelodi Sundowns, that’s what we do, and that’s the mentality we are using for this tournament,” added defender Thato Letsoso.
“It’s huge that it’s the first time we are invited to an international tournament, so it brings nerves and excitement to learn and compete at the highest level of football, which is also a privilege. To be featured in this competition, shows that we are the best in Africa. It gives us the confidence to perform better at our local league because you can’t compete at the highest level and then lose at home.”
In the other match up – INAC Kobe faces Athlético Madrid.
The winners of the two games will meet in the final on Sunday morning (18 August 2024) also at 03h00 SA time, while the losers will battle it out for bronze on Saturday (17 August) at midnight.
This means Sundowns Ladies will get a chance to play against an American team and also against one between a Spanish side and a Japanese outfit – which is one of the reasons the Women’s Cup exists.
“The Women’s Cup is today the largest international women’s club football tournament in the world. It features some of the best clubs on the planet and is per invitation only, with clubs are selected based on their performance and also based on how they are promoting the women’s game. It’s the only real opportunity that clubs from around the world get to play against each other,” said JP Reynal, CEO of the tournament.
The matches will be televised in over 150 countries by major broadcasters like DAZN in Europe and DirecTV in Latin America, among others.
THE WOMEN’S CUP
The Kansas City tournament will be the sixth edition of the Women’s Cup, and the third competition this year.
NY/NJ Gotham (USA) won the first one in Colombia in March and have been joined by Juventus (Italy) who clinched the recent edition held in Louisville, Kentucky. Now everyone awaits the winners of the Kansas City Women’s Cup.
By Matlhomola Morake
