Mamelodi Sundowns are ready for the Club World Cup, which will be played in the United States from Saturday, June 14 to July 13.
The Premier Soccer League champions will represent Africa in the prestigious global competition alongside Al Ahly, Wydad Athletic Club, and Esperance. This is the first-ever expanded World Cup, which will involve 32 teams.
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams feels privileged to dine with the big boys, and went on to explain how the coach ensured the players get some rest prior to the competition.
‘You could see the energy was back'
“It’s an amazing feeling to be at the Club World Cup, history for the club, for the country, so it’s been a long time coming, you know how hard we fought to be here, sacrificed so much,” the Bafana Bafana captain told the media.
“There was a lot of competitions this season that we had to focus on, and we only really started focusing on the Club World Cup this week, and it’s been a difficult time, having lost the Champions League final.
“But the good thing is that the coach gave us a few days off, five or six days, and you could see once we got back to training, you could see the energy was back. The most important thing [after Caf Champions League final loss] was to reflect. Immediately after the game, we had our chats, but after that, it was important to stay away from each other, we have played so many games, we travelled so much as well.”
‘We can't be mourning for too long’
Williams has further stated that Sundowns have healed after a disappointing Caf Champions League final loss against Pyramids.
“So these five days away from each other, it also it re-energised us again, to get that spark back. Obviously, it was devastating, it was hard to accept that defeat, but we have to go again, at Mamelodi Sundowns, there’s always another opportunity,” the 33-year-old continued.
“There is no bigger than this [Club World Cup], and we can’t be mourning for too long, this is massive, probably the biggest club competition, so we’re excited and looking forward to it, when I saw the training you can see the energy and spark is back, the five days done us well.
“While others are going on vacation, we’re on another flight, that is the amazing thing about Sundowns, we’re always looking to the next tournament, the next competition, and as tough as it is, we enjoy it, we love it,” Williams concluded.
