Banyana on a learning curve against Sweden

Tshepo Ntsoelengoe

Banyana Banyana midfielder Amogelang Motau says playing a quality team like Sweden will give the team an indication of the things they have to work on before playing the African Women’s Championships and Fifa World Cup qualifiers later this year.

The former national Under-20 captain says the mood in the camp is great with many new faces in the team ahead of the clash at the Cape Town Stadium tomorrow.

“We are playing against a very good team who are ranked 10th in the world which is a very good thing for us. I’m expecting a very physical game because Sweden’s players are very tall,” said Motau.

“The atmosphere has been great in camp, we have some experienced players who have been guiding us and helping us to prepare. There are also some new faces in the team, but I’m also not new to the senior national team. I think everybody is doing well, because I know how difficult it is to make the national team. The pressure is high but they are fitting in well.”

Motau, who is a former University of Western Cape player, left the country last year to pursue her studies in the USA, where she is studying Business Administration and playing college football for Oral Roberts University.

This is Motau’s first call-up to the squad since moving to the USA and she says she is learning a lot overseas and the competition is very high.

“There is a lot of catch-up I have to do, but I’m honoured and privileged to be in the team. I’m taking it day by day to try to catch up to the level the team are at at the moment,” she added.