Motlhalo sets her sights on the world

The journey has been good so far for Banyana Banyana midfielder Linda Motlhalo, even though there have been bumps here and there.

At 20 years old, the Brandvlei-born player has achieved a lot in a short space of time in her growing career. After all, she is one of the few South African female players who is playing in a professional women’s league.

Since signing a season-long contract with Houston Dash in the US early this year, Motlhalo believes she can achieve anything she puts her mind to. Playing in the US is big, and it is a dream for many players in South Africa.

Having achieved that, she has now set her sights on playing in the Uefa Women’s Champions League in the future.

“One always has to have goals, and once you reach them, you set up other goals, that is just how it is,” says Motlhalo.

“It has not been easy and as we all know, women’s football in our country still has a long way to go. But once you get an opportunity, you must use it to the best of your abilities.”

“I believe in working hard and reaching my goals. I believe I was very fortunate to have signed for Houston Dash. The goal now is to improve and make it to the big leagues. I want to play in the Uefa Champions League one day – that is my main goal and I hope I achieve it at some point.”

In her first season with Houston Dash, Motlhalo played in 21 games and helped the team finish the season in sixth place in their league. Having been one of the key players at the club, but with new contract negotiations still pending, she is confident she will head back to the US, especially after a successful Cosafa Women’s Cup with Banyana, where she took the top scorer of the tournament award after scoring four goals.

Banyana won the tournament after beating Cameroon 2-1 in the final to make it five Cosafa titles in the bag for the senior national women’s team and the first Cosafa Cup medal for the 20-year old.

“The season with Houston was an eye-opener for me, it has taught me a lot and I believe my game has grown so much in the last couple of months. It was not easy in the first few weeks in the US, but I managed to adjust and got used to the conditions in a foreign country,” she added.

“Now that the season is over, I am just waiting to hear from the team regarding a new contract. But I am confident I will get a new contract.

“I am happy to have helped Banyana defend the Cosafa Cup and getting the top scorer award is special because it was the first time I had played in that tournament. It was a good victory and we played together as a team, I think that’s what helped us win it.

“I believe we have a talented squad and the competition has given us a direction on what to work on ahead of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Ghana this year (November 17 to December 1). I think we are capable of winning it, but it won’t be easy.

“The main objective is to qualify for the World Cup, and for me, playing in the World Cup will be a dream come true.”