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Stellenbosch Football Club

INTERNATIONAL DUTY | Quintet set to battle Congo in U-23 AFCON qualifiers

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Jayden Adams, Olwethu Makhanya, Athenkosi Mcaba, Devin Titus and Antonio van Wyk will all be involved in international duty on Thursday when the South Africa men’s national U-23 team takes on Congo in the first of two U-23 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

  • Stellenbosch F.C. is the joint-most represented team in the current South Africa U-23 squad with five players called up for the latest round of qualifiers.
  • Makhanya and Titus have been called up for the first time, while Adams, Mcaba and Van Wyk have already represented the senior national, team in addition to previous age-group call-ups.
  • The U-23’s are set to take on Congo in the first of two U-23 CAF Olympic Third Round qualifier matches on Thursday for a spot in the upcoming 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.

Stellenbosch F.C. will have a strong representation when the South Africa U-23 squad takes on Congo on Thursday afternoon, with five players, namely Adams, Makhanya, Mcaba, Titus and Van Wyk, in line to take part in the highly-anticipated encounter.

Victory over two legs against Congo would see South Africa qualify for the upcoming U-23 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and David Notoane’s side will begin the double-header with the home ground advantage, with the first leg taking place at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto.

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Image courtesy of SAFA.net.

The U-23 national team reached the Third Round of qualifying following a 2-2 aggregate win over Togo on the away goals rule in October last year, during a tie in which Van Wyk scored a crucial goal in the first leg to help South Africa move one step closer to booking their tickets to the showpiece tournament.

He, along with the other players called to represent their country, will be hoping to make a similar impact against Congo in Soweto on Thursday, where the fixture is set to get underway at 15h00. The match broadcast live on SABC 1.

The 2023 CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations will serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. The top three teams from the AFCON will qualify for the Games, while the fourth-placed team will compete in a play-off against an Asian (AFC) counterpart.