Captain Williams says Sundowns players can’t wait for Club World Cup

Mamelodi Sundowns captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams says the players are excited and looking forward to testing themselves against Borussia Dortmund of Germany, Fluminense FC of Brazil and Ulsan HD from South Korea in the Fifa Club World Cup. 

The Brazilians were on Thursday drawn with powerhouse Dortmund, Fluminense and little-known Ulsan HD for the tournament to be hosted in the US in June and July. 

“It is a wonderful draw, I was happy to see the name of Mamelodi Sundowns up there with the best of the best in the world,” Williams said from Morocco, where they are preparing for their Champions League group stages clash against FAR Rabat on Saturday night. 

“I got goosebumps seeing our name on screen and it is an amazing achievement for the club. We are currently in camp in Morocco preparing for our Champions League match against Rabat. 

“It was really nice that players watched the draw together and there was a good reaction once our name was called out. Just being mentioned among the best and being part of such a prestigious event and big tournament is already enough.

“We know that we are going to play against the best teams in the world and we are excited about that. It could have been nice if we got Manchester City because my son is a big supporter and he loves their football. But in saying that, I am happy with the draw.” 

Williams said it is not going to be easy but they are familiar with the style of play of Dortmund and Fluminense. 

“All the groups are going to be tough, but we have teams that we are familiar with like Fluminense because we have similar traits and structure because of the way we play, we have studied a lot of their build-ups. 

“When it comes to Dortmund, I know Tashreeq Matthews will be happy because he played for Dortmund. We also know it is going to be tough against Ulsan from Korea with their fast football.

“But overall we are happy, excited and we can’t want for the tournament to start.”