U-20 Squad Unveiled

By James Waindi

Football Kenya Limited (FKL) yesterday named a 42-man squad for the national Under-20 team for the 2011 Africa Championships qualifier against Sudan on July 23.

The team, which begins residential training at the Fifa Goal Project in Kasarani on Monday, comprises mainly of players from Kenyan Premier League Clubs.

"This is one of the strongest teams we have named in recent years and I am confident they will deliver. We embark on serious training on Tuesday before we trim the team to 27 on Wednesday," said coach Vince Ombiji yesterday.

League leaders Tusker’s wonder kid Paul Were and Kevin Omondi of Gor Mahia are the surprise omissions in the provisional squad. Were has been enjoying good form since he joined the brewers from Mathare Youth, while Omondi was the top scorer during last year’s Secondary Schools Games when he represented eventual winners Lang’ata High.

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Mathare United’s goal poacher Jacob Keli leads the bulk of premier league players in the team that includes AFC Leopards defender Martin Imbalambala, Milton Milimo, Gor Mahia’s Musa Mohammed, Anthony ‘Vieira’ Akumu, Duncan Owiti and former Thika United player who is currently based in Pretoria, South Africa, Francis Kahata.

The team will be coached by Vince Ombiji. He will be assisted by Rishad Shedu and Ibrahim Kigombe. Team manager is Boniface Kariuki.

"We have travelled countrywide and used our networks to identify top Kenyan players in foreign clubs and these are the best of the best," said Ombiji.