Nineteen-year-old Brango Rukoro, an emerging talent in Namibian football, expressed his eagerness to learn from the seasoned veterans in the Brave Warriors squad.
As a goalkeeper from the Omaheke region, who made a strong impression at the Nedbank Namibian Newspaper Cup, he was called up by the senior national football squad last week as they gear up to face Liberia and Tunisia in pivotal Fifa World Cup qualifying clashes on 5 and 11 June, respectively.
This is while preparations for the Cosafa Cup tournament are underway for a mid-June kickoff.
Rukoro embraced the new challenge with enthusiasm, aiming to absorb as much knowledge as possible from experienced goalkeepers such as Lloyd Kazapua and Edward Maova.
“The full squad isn’t here yet. But the atmosphere at the first training session was good,” Rukoro remarked.
“I see this as an opportunity to grow and develop. My goal is to earn a spot in the Cosafa Cup team, but for now, I am focused on learning from the senior players,” he added.
One of the Warriors' goalkeeper coaches Arnold Subeb, said the players have age and height on their side.
However, he added that he has picked up a lot of aspects that need to be worked on.
“They still need to go through a lot of work. They have talent, but we need to work on their technique, and teach them many fundamentals that will help them in the future.
“Most of these players haven’t gone through proper development structures, but we are here to help them. They will grow in it,” he said.
In a notable shift, coach Collin Benjamin included eight U/20 players in the 52-man provisional squad, signalling a strategic move to infuse youth into the team ahead of crucial upcoming matches.
Joining Rukoro in the squad are fellow young talents, goalkeeper Rupura Tjambeni (Omusati), defenders Marek Kapuro (Kavango East) and Namayabona Matengu (Zambezi), as well as midfielders Mbamba Magameno (Kavango East), Zuze Mutafela (Zambezi), Maurizio January (Erongo) and Punaje Katjimune (Omaheke).
Even though heavily criticised for dropping some senior players to include more young players, coach Benjamin emphasised the importance of nurturing young talent, urging fans to support the emerging players as the Warriors look toward a promising future.
– lmupetami@nepc.com.na