Khomas guns for a triple

KHOMAS has one the strongest line-ups for The Namibian Newspaper Cup, with at least half of their players also doing duty for the national under-17 side, while two are in the senior national team.

That makes them one of the favourites in the competition and can possibly ensure them their third regional crown.For Khomas, the biggest threats are Eslin Kamuhanga of Civics and Sidney Urikhob of Orlando Pirates, who are responsible for causing havoc up front for both the national under-17 side and recently the Brave Warriors.Kamuhanga and Urikhob, together with African Stars junior goalkeeper Collin Ndjai, make up the premiership trio, while there are also two players from the first division, with the rest from second-division teams.The first-division pair are Martin Angombe and Neville Tjiueza, who both play for Invincible.National under-17 players for Khomas include its captain Oswaldo Xamseb, who turns out for the Ramblers Under-20s, Tariq Claassen, who plays for the Collin Benjamin Soccer Academy, and Robinson Iyambo, who also plays for the CBSA.Ndjai is the under-17 national side’s first-choice goalkeeper, while Tjiueza also plays for the junior team.Khomas have won the Newspaper Cup twice, in 2003 and 2004, and they will have a chance to land it for the third time considering their home turf advantage.Kamuhanga is currently in hot form and comes from national duty when Namibia played against Angola last Saturday and has been the main target man for his side Civics in their current great premiership run.Urikhob is now a regular up front for Pirates after he came through the Orlando Pirates Under-20 ranks and was also snapped up into the national fold, mainly because of his never-say-die attitude and prowess in front of goal, and is set to pose great danger to the defenders of the other regions.The experience of these two players will be key in carrying their region through to the final, while at the same time, they will be required to stand out because of their exposure at national level.On the other hand, other regions have also assembled their best players and it will not matter who the big names are.Omaheke will rely on Dene Swarts, who also plays for the under-17 side, while Benson Shilongo, another member of the national junior team, will be the man for Oshana.STRONG WARRIORS SIDEMeanwhile, the Brave Warriors technical staff has named a relatively strong squad to face the Shadow Team on Sunday.The team will have the best performers in the premiership and they too will strive for excellence to impress coach Tom Saintfiet in his quest to build a team for the future.Making a welcome return to the national fold is Black Africa goalkeeper Arnold Subeb, who will possibly start from the bench as current Eleven Arrows goalkeeper Virgil Vries has also proven to have a pair of the safest hands in the country.Black Africa defender Moses Katjiteo will also be in the mix this time, while Tara Katupose, who has been a regular scorer at Arrows, was given the nod too.Civics’ blue-eyed boy Heinrich Isaacks is steadily finding his old form and will be leading the striking force with Black Africa’s hitman, Jerome Louis.The enterprising Black Africa midfielder Bryan Bantam, the dynamic Marco van Wyk of SKW and African Stars’ industrious pair of Ninja Karongee and Rudi Louw are also in the side. Orlando Pirates’ towering midfielder Tobias Mekondjo will also have a chance to prove himself in the side, while Edward Asino of Hotspurs is becoming a regular in the side now. See pre-tournament supplement in this edition. corry@namibian.com.na