Kenya Lionesses
Freshia Awino sprints away from the Chinese defence during the HSBC Division
Two series at Nyayo Stadium/HANDOUT
A top-three is the bare
minimum for Kenya Lionesses at the HSBC Division Two legs in Montevideo
and Sao Paulo, coach Simon Odongo has said.
Following an underwhelming
fifth-place finish on home soil last month, Odongo is keen to see his charges
bounce back strongly in Uruguay and Brazil to boost their qualification hopes
for the final round of tournaments.
“We are looking forward to the
next leg. We know what is at stake and we aim to finish in the top three to
increase our chances of qualification to the final round. The girls know they
have what it takes to compete against top-quality sides and we will make the
necessary adjustments,” said Odongo.
The Lionesses entered camp on
Tuesday for a seven-day high-performance training block at Kasarani Stadium,
where they are sharpening their systems ahead of naming the final squad next
week.
“The camp will be key in
fine-tuning our strategies, especially our kick-off reception, decision-making
and attack efficiency, among other areas,” Odongo explained.
He believes the gap between
Kenya and leading sides such as Argentina, South Africa and China remains
narrow.
“The margin between us and
teams like Argentina, South Africa and China is small, and I am confident we
can turn the tables on them in the next two tournaments and be competitive,” he
observed.
Odongo expects competition for
places in the travelling squad to be intense.
“It is an opportunity for the
fringe players to put their hand up in training and impress the technical
bench,” he added.
He also noted that several
players have remained active by featuring for their respective Kenya Cup sides
in recent weeks, which has helped maintain match sharpness.
“Some of them have been
involved in the 15s game, which improves their sharpness and tactical awareness
heading into the two tournaments,” he said.
On the men’s side, Kevin
Wambua, head coach of the Kenya Sevens, expressed confidence in his squad’s
readiness as they continue their push to return to the HSBC SVNS main series.
“The boys are sharp, focused
and ready. Our goal is to get back to the main series stage — nothing less.
Every session in this camp is geared towards that objective,” said Wambua.
Both squads will be named next week before departing for Uruguay on March 16.
