Where it went wrong for McCarthy's Harambee Stars

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy reacts during Kenya's 2026 World Cup qualifier match against The Gambia at Kasarani Stadium on September 5 2025. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Harambee Stars’ dream of making a strong push for the now impossible 2026 World Cup qualification suffered a heavy blow yesterday after they were humbled 3-1 by The Gambia at Kasarani Stadium.

The result left fans shocked and disappointed, many questioning whether the national team is truly moving in the right direction.

The loss came just days after Kenyans had celebrated Harambee Stars’ spirited run at the Chan tournament, which ended at the quarter-finals.

That performance had given hope of a new era for Kenyan football. But against Gambia, the optimism faded quickly.

One of the main talking points was squad selection. Many faulted head coach Benni McCarthy for leaving out most of the Chan stars who had impressed only a week earlier.

Only Abud Omar, Sylvester Owino, and goalkeeper Bryne Omondi survived. The rest of the starting 11 was dominated by foreign-based players who failed to gel.

“CHAN squad is way better than this team!” wrote Jeremy Gichuki on X, formerly Twitter. Others questioned why McCarthy changed almost 80 percent of the squad, pointing out that the midfield was weak and lacked both creativity and steel.

McCarthy’s decision to start a lineup dominated by foreign-based players was criticised. 

Richard Odada and Timothy Ouma started brightly but quickly faded, forcing McCarthy to replace them at half-time with Chan standouts Manzur Okwaro and Alpha Onyango.

The two substitutes brought energy and stability, raising questions on why they were benched.

Social media was awash with criticism. “Why didn’t the coach use the Chan squad that gave us pride? This is a total embarrassment at home,” wrote Lawrence Kitema on X.

Many felt that McCarthy abandoned the team chemistry built during Chan.

On the pitch, Gambia capitalised on Kenya’s shaky defence and poor decision-making. Sheriff Sinyan opened the scoring in the 12th minute, heading home from a Yankuba Minteh corner.

Minteh, who plays for Brighton in the English Premier League, then punished a defensive lapse to double the lead in the 25th minute. Before halftime, Musa Barrow volleyed in a third after another Kenyan error at the back.

Kenya did have chances. William Lenkupae came close early on, and Michael Olunga had a few openings, but the hosts lacked the sharpness to convert. Substitute Ryan Ogam, a hero from the Chan tournament, pulled one back in the 81st minute to give fans some consolation, but it was too little too late.

For Kenya, the dream of a first World Cup appearance is over and focus is now surely on 2027 Afcon.