Klate hopes La Masia will learn from Sundowns

Ahead of their meeting in the Nedbank Cup last 32 at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday night, La Masia coach Daine Klate has highlighted how he has been inspired by Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena’s growth as a coach.

Klate said Mokwena inspired him while he was still playing football and now, being a coach, he wants to go the same route as him.

“Coach Mokwena was the one who inspired me when I was busy playing, he was busy growing as a coach and it is fantastic to see how well he is doing and managing Sundowns,” Klate, 38, said.

“But, we have to look up to them and we have to learn as much as we can. But yeah, definitely, I’m happy with the way I’m going, with my growth as a coach and the way that I’m learning.

“I’m looking forward to the next four or five years, maybe on a different level.”

Klate said the match against the Brazilians will offer his players an opportunity to gauge themselves against the best team in the country.

“I think for a club like La Masia, it is a nice occasion. I think it’s a big learning experience for the whole club, the whole players and everybody wants to be in the Premiership level, that’s where Sundowns is,” he said.

“I have massive respect for Sundowns, the technical team and we can learn a lot from these types of situations and this type of match. The ultimate goal is to get promotion to the Premiership.

“And this is the perfect opportunity for the players to see where they are and for them to be inspired in playing in the Premiership and this offers them a chance to gauge themselves against one of the best teams.

“The most important thing for us is to do well in the league. Last season, the team was fighting relegation and survived that.

“We are currently sitting in the mid-table, probably seven to 10 points away from safety. We want to get a promotion. I think this Sundowns game comes at a good time for us, with the next match being on March 1 against Maritzburg United away.”