South Africa coach Molefi Ntseki has named his squad for the COSAFA Under-17 Championships starting this weekend in Mauritius‚ going largely with a new group of players in the most junior national team.
There are no survivors from the squad that competed at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup in Chile as they have all moved up to the Under-20 age-group‚ but Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabiso Monyane did go with the side to the African Under-17 Championships last year.
He was a 14-year-old player then‚ groomed at the Augusto Palacios Academy and seen as a talent of immense promise.
He netted the winner for the Young Buccaneers against Belgian side Club Brugge in the 2017 Gauteng Future Champions tournament in March.
Midfielder Tyreese Pillay from Pimville Young Stars is another player who was around the Under-17 squad last year‚ but did not go to either of the international tournaments they played in.
Ntseki‚ who invited players from academies around the country for a pre-tournament camp‚ has also included 16-year-old Ikapa Sporting midfielder Luke le Roux.
Le Roux has twice had training spells with Dutch top-flight side PEC Zwolle and is being closely monitored by the Netherlands club.
His selection for this tournament and potentially the Under-17 Nations Cup in Madagascar next year will be a boost to his chances of winning a European move.
Mamelodi Sundowns striker Siphamandla Ntuli is another hugely promising talent who finished as joint top-scorer at this year's Future Champions event.
It should be noted that all six of his goals came in a single game as Sundowns thrashed top Mozambican side Ferroviario Maputo 11-0.
Ntuli also netted five goals in the Gauteng Cup weeks earlier to highlight his promise as a budding forward.
The only other forward listed in the squad is Orlando Pirates striker Lyle Foster‚ who scored twice against fancied Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro in the Future Champions international tournament.
Ntseki is using the COSAFA competition as preparation for the Under-17 Nations Cup qualifier against Tanzania.
South Africa play the home leg first on the weekend of August 5-7‚ a week after the COSAFA final‚ with the return a fortnight later in East Africa.
They start their Group A campaign at the COSAFA Under-17 Championships with a fixture against Seychelles in Curepipe on Saturday.
That is followed by further games against Namibia (July 25) and hosts Mauritius (July 27).
The top two sides in each pool advance to the semifinals‚ with the final to be played on July 31.
South Africa squad:
Goalkeepers: Tshepo Mohui‚ Glen Baadjies
Defenders: Mswati Mavuso‚ Luke Fleurs‚ Sechaba Mokoena‚ Hendrick Langa‚ Lethabo Mazibuko‚ Nkanyiso Shinga
Midfielders: Thapelo Mokomele‚ Bonga Dladla‚ Linamandla Mchilizeli‚ Tyreese Pillay‚ Sabelo Radebe‚ Ndamolelo Radzilane‚ Luke le Roux‚ S'miso Bophela‚ Thabiso Monyane
Strikers: Lyle Foster‚ Siphamandla Ntuli
Ntseki names his squad for the COSAFA Under-17 Championships
South Africa coach Molefi Ntseki has named his squad for the COSAFA Under-17 Championships starting this weekend in Mauritius‚ going largely with a new group of players in the most junior national team.
There are no survivors from the squad that competed at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup in Chile as they have all moved up to the Under-20 age-group‚ but Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabiso Monyane did go with the side to the African Under-17 Championships last year.
He was a 14-year-old player then‚ groomed at the Augusto Palacios Academy and seen as a talent of immense promise.
He netted the winner for the Young Buccaneers against Belgian side Club Brugge in the 2017 Gauteng Future Champions tournament in March.
Midfielder Tyreese Pillay from Pimville Young Stars is another player who was around the Under-17 squad last year‚ but did not go to either of the international tournaments they played in.
Ntseki‚ who invited players from academies around the country for a pre-tournament camp‚ has also included 16-year-old Ikapa Sporting midfielder Luke le Roux.
Le Roux has twice had training spells with Dutch top-flight side PEC Zwolle and is being closely monitored by the Netherlands club.
His selection for this tournament and potentially the Under-17 Nations Cup in Madagascar next year will be a boost to his chances of winning a European move.
Mamelodi Sundowns striker Siphamandla Ntuli is another hugely promising talent who finished as joint top-scorer at this year's Future Champions event.
It should be noted that all six of his goals came in a single game as Sundowns thrashed top Mozambican side Ferroviario Maputo 11-0.
Ntuli also netted five goals in the Gauteng Cup weeks earlier to highlight his promise as a budding forward.
The only other forward listed in the squad is Orlando Pirates striker Lyle Foster‚ who scored twice against fancied Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro in the Future Champions international tournament.
Ntseki is using the COSAFA competition as preparation for the Under-17 Nations Cup qualifier against Tanzania.
South Africa play the home leg first on the weekend of August 5-7‚ a week after the COSAFA final‚ with the return a fortnight later in East Africa.
They start their Group A campaign at the COSAFA Under-17 Championships with a fixture against Seychelles in Curepipe on Saturday.
That is followed by further games against Namibia (July 25) and hosts Mauritius (July 27).
The top two sides in each pool advance to the semifinals‚ with the final to be played on July 31.
South Africa squad:
Goalkeepers: Tshepo Mohui‚ Glen Baadjies
Defenders: Mswati Mavuso‚ Luke Fleurs‚ Sechaba Mokoena‚ Hendrick Langa‚ Lethabo Mazibuko‚ Nkanyiso Shinga
Midfielders: Thapelo Mokomele‚ Bonga Dladla‚ Linamandla Mchilizeli‚ Tyreese Pillay‚ Sabelo Radebe‚ Ndamolelo Radzilane‚ Luke le Roux‚ S'miso Bophela‚ Thabiso Monyane
Strikers: Lyle Foster‚ Siphamandla Ntuli
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