Little wonder general manager Stanley ”Screamer” Tshabalala was cooing like a dove on Thursday after it was confirmed Bafana Bafana will play Panama in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament at Houston’s ultra-modern Reliant Stadium on Sunday.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) CEO Trevor Phillips has come up with a much-needed sprinkling of local soccer matches to ease the six-week fixture ”drought” in January and February as a result of the African Nations Cup tournament. A four-team club tournament is planned, in which three leading overseas clubs will be involved.
”Beware the wounded animal,” warned Bafana Bafana general manager Stanley ”Screamer” Tshabalala before Wednesday night’s Concacaf Gold Cup game against a down-in-the-dumps Guatemala at Houston’s Reliance Stadium. ”Bafana turned the tables on Mexico in our opening fixtures when no-one gave us a chance of winning,” said Tshabalala.
Already assured of a place in the Gold Cup quarterfinals against all expectations, Bafana Bafana’s final first round Group C qualifying game against struggling Guatemala in steamy Houston on Wednesday night remains as crucial as anything the Cinderella-like, rags-to-riches success story has provided.
It exceeded all Stuart Baxter’s expectations as Bafana Bafana secured one of their most auspicious scalps since returning to the international soccer fold in 1992 by beating the world’s sixth-ranked Mexico 2-1 with a makeshift combination in the Concacaf Gold Cup clash on the outskirts of Los Angeles on Friday night.