Exclusive: Well Respected Youth Coach Tips South African U20 Stars to Light Up World Cup

Randburg AFC U19 coach Skhosiphi Mgobozi believes the South Africa U20 went down to a better team in the France U20 in the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile on Monday.

Mgobozi believes that there is enough depth and star power in the South Africa U20 team to be able to make the most of the two remaining group stage fixtures and emerge successful in the showpiece event.

The France Game

Mgobozi, having coached in the Gauteng Development League (GDL) for quite some time, has had the front-row seat to the development and the young journeys of some of the youngsters who are currently in Chile with the South Africa U20 side.

Many may look at South Africa’s 2-1 defeat to France on Monday and draw axes, ready to criticise and cast verdicts on the talented youngsters that are in the squad.

However, having witnessed first-hand the quality of the players that are in Chile, Mgobozi has an intricate understanding of what these youngsters possess in terms of talent and potential.

As a result, despite the narrow defeat on Monday, Mgobozi believes that the South African youngsters are one of the most technically sound players going around in the World Cup.

Mgobozi did acknowledge that France was better on the day, a feat that saw them emerge victorious in the tournament opener.

“I think, firstly, we played a good side, a side that you could see was very well-built, very organised, and put us under pressure,” Mgobozi told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.  

“I think that's going to be one of the things in this tournament that's going to be fascinating to see, is how well we handle our defensive responsibilities, particularly when we've lost the ball because we're a technical side, we can hold the ball well, (we move the ball well, we have fantastic individual players, and we technically are, for me, would be one of the teams to watch.”

“We're the African champions. But with that comes the vulnerability in transition, where we're going to have to win our deals. And it was interesting, France yesterday, with a bit of pace and power, put us under a bit of pressure.”

“So we're going to have to strategise and come together, just how we're going to handle those types of profiles of players, particularly around Europe, who have pace, the power. I'm sure Coach Raymond (Mdaka) and his team have made note and are preparing for the next game.”

The Stars in the SA U20 Team

From the likes of Neo Rapoo to Mfundo Vilakazi, both players who have played in South Africa’s top-flight league, there is no doubt that South Africa U20 is filled with quality talent.

Locally, midfielder Vilakazi is currently playing for Kaizer Chiefs, while forward Neo Rapoo earned caps for SuperSport United last season.

Tylon Smith is currently playing for Queens Park Rangers, having played for Stellenbosch FC here in South Africa before moving abroad. 

Because these players have been able to gather so much experience at such a young age, Mgobozi has no doubt in his mind that they are not fazed by the occasion of playing in the ongoing U20 World Cup.

“The most notable players would be Kutlwano Letlhaku, who was at School of Excellence in the 19s, a fantastic player, as well as Siyabonga Mabena, who was on the bench yesterday. Both are at Sundowns now. These are two terrific players who I think can light this tournament up. I think one of our superpowers in this tournament will be guys like Siyabonga and Kutlwano, when the game opens up, they've got that X-factor and those special attributes to really turn games on their head,” Mgobozi told SportsBoom.co.za.

“I think you also look at Neo Rapoo at left back, he made his first team debut for Supersport last season. So, a very experienced campaigner, and you could see it in moments last night, he put his foot on the ball, didn't get flustered by the occasion or the physicality, for that matter, because he's playing top-flight football, you know. So, those would generally be the players."

“With Mfundo Vilakazi, a great player, yes, absolutely. How could we forget him? He’s a special, special talent, and I think he is another player who could do something and really contribute to our success, alongside Tyron Smith and Shakeel April. So, we've got a number of players, we’ve got good depth. Now it's just about what team is required for what moment."

”I saw Mapena didn't start yesterday, and the coaches have probably dissected and looked at that game to justify that, but I'm sure down the line there's going to be a game that Mapena is a non-negotiable, the same with Vilakazi, the same with Rapoo, the same with Gomolemo Kekana, the same even in goal sometimes with Fletcher (Smyth-Lowe) and Takalani (Mazhamba). So it's going to be interesting.”

South Africa U20 will be back in action on Friday as they are set to play New Caledonia, before they set their sights on Sunday’s fixture against the United States of America.