Kenya's Benni McCarthy Underlines Importance of Lesotho Friendlies

Kenya, as one of the tournament's co-hosts, has already secured its place in the finals. However, despite that automatic qualification, the Harambee Stars will still compete in the qualifying campaign alongside the other nations in Group D.

Originally scheduled to face Palestine and Kyrgyzstan during the FIFA international window, the Harambee Stars will now play a two-legged tie against Lesotho.

Both matches will be held at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. The first game is on Thursday, 4 June at 4pm (EAT), with the second fixture on Sunday, 7 June, also at 4pm (EAT).

McCarthy has named the Kenya squad for these matches, with several notable inclusions, including five new call-ups given their first chance at senior national team level.

Defender Deon Woodman (Wealdstone FC), winger Sammy Hena-Kamau (Hull City), forward Micah Obiero (Wealdstone FC), defender Sydney Agina (Stoke City) and goalkeeper Caleb Kramer (ADO Den Haag) have all been selected in the squad.

Kenya to Assess New Talent

“These friendlies come at an ideal time because the season has just ended, and we have many new Kenyan-based players abroad whom we haven't had the chance to watch yet, unfortunately,” McCarthy told Flashscore.

“Now this gives us a clear indication of their levels and quality compared to previous squads. I have added more to the team's potential, and by September when the AFCON qualifiers come, we will be ready.”

“Look at our group – South Africa (laughs), Guinea and Eritrea. Even though we have already qualified, we need to be ready and we deserve our place because of the quality we want to show in the group stages.

“So, this is a perfect opportunity for us to evaluate many of them. The best part is that everyone is under 25, so we have a very young squad – exactly what we want: good quality, top young players who can represent Kenya.

“That way we ensure continuity. When the day comes for us to leave this national team, we will leave behind a good young crop of players, with even more youngsters coming through the ranks. That is the purpose of these two friendly matches.”

On the quality of the new players after the first training session, the South African legend said: “I have never had any problem with the players coming in. Their discipline has been excellent, as has their work ethic, mentality and mindset. They always give everything.

“So that is what you want as a coach, that is what you want to see. The progression of this national team is improving steadily, and the main thing is that by the time the AFCON draws closer, we want to be able to compete against top teams like Senegal and give a better account of ourselves than last time.

“We felt we were a long way behind in terms of quality, which is why you see all these young players. It sends an inspiring message to those young players in the Kenyan league.”

McCarthy Laments Injuries

On how ready Kenya is ahead of the AFCON qualifiers, McCarthy responded: “We are not too far from where we want to be. The best comparison we can probably give is our last international match, which we played in Rwanda against Estonia and Grenada.

“Estonia were playing in World Cup qualifiers against Italy and Norway. Even though they didn't qualify, they gave a very good account of themselves and showed their quality and level.

“I think we were very good against them; we drew, which I felt was unfortunate because I thought we were the better side that day, but we lost on penalties. That showed the level Kenya can reach. So I would say we are three-quarters of the way to where we want to be.”

McCarthy concluded: “To complete the picture, we are still missing that final piece because of so many injuries. Marcelo is coming back from injury now, and we have also integrated Amos into the squad even though he is still injured.

“We have Michael (Olunga) who is yet to return from injury, Jonah Ayunga, Daniel Ayembe. We are missing many top players who could come and further strengthen the team, and I think once we are at full strength and full potential, we have something to be optimistic about during the AFCON.”

Altogether, 48 nations will compete in the qualifiers, with 24 teams set to feature in the final tournament.