Roger de Sa is targeting a return to the Absa Premiership League in a single season with his new National First Division side Cape Umoya United as they prepare to open their second-tier campaign against TS Galaxy on Sunday.
“That’s the aim, obviously, but it is very difficult to know what to expect from the NFD, this is all new to me,” coach De Sa says.
“Some people tell me you win it in the first round and get so far ahead that nobody can catch you, while others say it is the second round that is the most important. But we have got a good squad with good experience, so we will see what happens.”
De Sa has managed to persuade tall striker Nathan Paulse to come out of retirement for the season, and also enlisted the likes of former Ajax Cape Town and SuperSport United defender Roscoe Pietersen, another ex-Ajax defender in Zimbabwean defender Erick Chipeta and former Platinum Stars goalkeeper Dino Visser.
“We wanted players with hunger, because that is important. We didn’t want a squad where players come to just play out the final year of their career. We want players who are determined to prove a point.
“Nathan is a good example of that, he and I both felt he retired too early and he has come back because he feels he can still make a big contribution.”
De Sa says that if the club does not achieve promotion, while disappointing, they also have other plans.
“We are planning an academy and have lots to achieve with this team. We are a new club in many ways, not a PSL team that has been relegated.
“Cape Umoya United is a new brand and a fresh start and we really believe we can make a difference.”
The side were formed when a consortium led by De Sa purchased the status of Platinum Stars and relocated the team to Cape Town.
Stars were relegated via the play-offs at the end of the last Premier League season.
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