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The Uganda Cubs Thursdsay morning training session at Dire Dawa Stadium in Dire Dawa City, Ethiopia (1)
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Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
The head coach of the Uganda U17 men’s national team, The Cubs, Layrea Kingston, has hailed the World Cup counterparts in Qatar for their magnificent performance. The team was knocked out in the round of 16 after a 4-3 penalty shootout loss to Burkina Faso in their first-ever appearance at the championship.
Kingston, who led his side in a morning training session in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, ahead of their crucial Group B tie against Tanzania this Friday, acknowledged that the Qatar team has inspired his side to go all the way.
“The most important thing is to know that the team that went to the World Cup did well, and this motivates us very much because that is the bar they have raised. We have no excuse not to get to where they got to, but we have to take each day at a time. I can see this squad is progressing nicely with the help of the technical team. They are responding to education, and we are looking forward to getting to where they reached and, if possible, go beyond that. But the journey is tough and long. They have done very well, and I think that is very positive for us because it is going to motivate us to get to where they are. I give credit to them, and we are all proud of them,” he said.
All Pictures: The Uganda Cubs Thursdsay morning training session at Dire Dawa Stadium in Dire Dawa City, Ethiopia
Kingston says tomorrow's game against Tanzania is crucial as it will determine the group standings, but he believes in his troops. “It is one of the most important games in the competition. I think they [Tanzania] have played two games very well. We have been preparing well, and I know the boys are ready for anything put in front of us. I know it will be a very competitive game, but I know we have what it takes to hurt them. We have seen them play and think we have the capability of stopping them from hurting us. I can’t wait; we are all looking forward to enjoying the game,” he said.
The Uganda Cubs Thursdsay morning training session
Uganda has won its first two games in different fashions. They beat Burundi 4-0 in the first game, with all goals scored in the first half and a brace from both captain Owen Mukisa and Thomas Ogema. In the second game, a 9-0 win against Sudan, Uganda scored only three times in the first half, with six goals coming in the second stanza from eight different scorers. Kingston, however, says every game is different.
“Every game is different. We have a 90-minute game, and in 90 minutes, the game can change many times. The most important thing is how your team adjusts to the situations. I give credit to the boys in the two past games; they did well. When things were not going well, they still kept to the game plan and tried to find a solution. In the first half of the first game, we saw everything we wanted to see, and in the second half, they dropped a little bit. In the second game, it was the vice versa. For me, these are the normal dynamics of the game, and tomorrow will not be different. We expect the same situations—some positive and others negative for us—but it's important for us to stick to our game plan and ensure that at the end of the 90 minutes, we get what we want. It is going to be tough, as I said earlier, but trust me, we are going to come out with the results we want.”
Going into Thursday's game, Uganda is second to Tanzania on goal difference. Both teams have won their first two games, with Tanzania having beaten Sudan 6-0 and Djibouti 11-0 for a total of 17 goals conceded, while Uganda has scored 13.
The match will decide the winner of Group B. The group winner will automatically qualify for the semifinals, pitting them against the runner-up in Group A. Hosts Ethiopia lead Group A with 6 points after two games, while Somalia (2), Kenya (1), South Sudan (1), and Rwanda follow in that order.
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