Reasons for our powerful surge

Sofapaka’s form in the recent times has been a matter to behold but of course to me not a surprise having been a keen follower of the team since it came from the doldrums to win the then President’s Cup, gain promotion to the Kenyan premier league and win it at the first time of asking all in the space of one year! Of course our exploits on the continental front have not been a matter to brush aside.

When Sofapaka thrashed Ismailia 4-0 in the CAF Confederations Cup, we just put a statement of intent to the whole continent that we are more of giant killers than pretenders in the face of African football. Participation in this tournament did a lot of good for the team as players like James Situma (currently with FK Tirana),Humphrey Mieno and Patrick Petit Kagogo were spotted by teams abroad for prospective greener pastures.

With the relegation from the continental tournament, fortunes changed and Sofapaka experienced a lean period with goals hard to come by. Change of personnel on the technical bench followed. Departure of defensive stalwart and captain, James Situma and injuries to important players didn’t help matters either. However, there has been a great improvement in the way the team goes about their business on the pitch.

This prompts one question: What has been the main motivation to a team that has spent most of the first part of the season at either 7^th or 8^th position to surge to the current high of 3^rd in the league? The answer to this is actually threefold!

1. 1. DUNCAN OCHIENG

With the first choice ‘keeper out with long term injury, the first leg of games in the KPL saw Sofapaka use goalkeepers Zachary Onyango and Opiyo interchangeably without clearly defining who’s the first choice. However the second leg of the league saw the introduction of Duncan Ochieng as the custodian and so far he has not disappointed. His debut against Karuturi in Naivasha ended in an anti climax with the hosts winning by a goal. In spite of this, a lot of positives could be picked from his performance and by far, today he has shown that he clearly deserves the position. In the past seven games Ochieng has managed six clean sheets which is a main parameter for assessing any good goalkeeper. A clean sheet may be as a result of hard work by the whole team, especially the defensive part of the team but I’d single out Ochieng on four very outstanding instances:

i) In the Sofapaka vs City Stars game, he produced a world class save when one on one with experienced City Stars striker George Odari in the last minute of the game! Needless to say, had he been beaten, the team would not have had an opportunity to equalize due to time constraints.

ii) In the Sofapaka vs Bandari game on 28^th September, he had to be on top of his game early on to block Bandari striker Wahab more than once when the striker was clean on goal in the opening minutes. It is to his credit that the score by the fifth minute was still at 0-0.

iii) In the same game, Duncan faced Wahab again, this time with a penalty to defend and he did superbly to dive the right side to keep out Wahab with the score at 1-0. It is worth noting here that this was his second penalty save in as many games.

iv) In the KCB vs Sofapaka game on 17^th September he also had an outstanding game, and indeed kept out Eugene Asike from the penalty spot late in the game to ensure Sofapaka take away the three points with a 1-0 win.

A non-partisan fan won’t help but wonder how such a player is not in the national team!

2. BALANCE BETWEEN DEFENCE AND OFFENCE

One of the main attributes that Sofapaka has come to be associated with of late is in the manner with which the players stroke the ball around the pitch. At some points during a game one wouldn’t particularly be surprised to see Mugalia back to assist in defensive roles or John Njoroge, a defender scoring the winning goal. It is this good blending in the team that has ensured Sofapaka has a goal difference that is superior to any other team in the league while at the same time boasting a mean defence that is only second to Tusker.

Monopolizing possession and an ever existent killer instinct is for example an attribute that makes Sofapaka a first among equals. The manager, Francis Kimanzi is known to be one man who not only believes in defending by attacking but also believes in stopping the opponent in a classical sense, with a striker turning into a defender if need arises during the game. This can never be more emphasized by the fact that at one point the team had to rely on Dodo Kayombo’s match-winning goals against Sony Sugar FC and Congo United and of course the consolation goal against AFC Leopards in the 3-1 defeat. The same aspect is highlighted in the fact that despite being the league’s best scorers, the top scorer isn’t in the team, the goals are distributed well among the players with defenders, midfielders and strikers all getting on the score sheet in the same breath.

Such is the balance that has seen Musa Mudde transformed into a defender, Humphrey Mieno, a midfielder, emerge as the team’s leading scorer, Bob Mugalia turn from a regular scorer to a provider, and of course utility man Osborne Monday cementing a defensive position. The main aspirations of the team have obviously been boosted by the return to fitness of most players who had been sorely missed. For example Osborne Monday’s return has been important as he has managed to stabilize a position that was so shaky since Situma’s departure. Antony Muki Kimani’s return has injected creativity in the midfield, this is underlined by the clever goals he’s known to score and has also enabled Mudde to help at the back as a partner to Edgar Fighter Ochieng. Humphrey Mieno has been as diminutive as he is creative adding a sense of defensive and offensive attribute in equal measure since his return from his stint with Club Africain, and of course the experience of the ever-present Titus Mulama has done more good, in providing cover and general guidance to the duo of Muki and Mieno. This team defies the old adage that strikers score goals for the team while defenders win titles for the team…at Sofapaka, each player defends, anyone can score and it is the team that wins titles!

The return to training of Abdulatif Achkobe Omar, George Audi Owino and Wilson Obungu is also welcome news, as the team looks set to seriously challenge for the league and FKL Cup.

3. TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Sofapaka is among the best equipped teams in the league in terms of personnel, boasting the services of Francis Kimanzi, a midfield supremo in his heyday playing for Mathare United and fresh from an advanced coaching course in the Netherlands. The manager is also famed to have coached the national team at a time when Kenya posted the best ever results in the FIFA rankings, at position 68. Kimanzi is also helped by a very strong bench which any other lower team would gladly have in their first team. A bench consisting of established players such as Kagogo, Dodo, Heritier, Wanyama, Joseph Nyaga et al is sure to be the envy of any coach that may have had the chance to watch them play.

A fine link exists between the bench and the players out the on the pitch and this could be the reason we are never likely to see Kimanzi shout orders to the players as opposed to his usual calm demeanor on the touchline…his return to the KPL is not only a bonus to Sofapaka but an advantage to the league given his history and potential to build high standards in the beautiful game.

My bet is that, barring any injuries or calamitous occurrences, Sofapaka should not just as yet be written off as far as winning the league is concerned!