WATCH | Sundowns make local TV news in Florida ahead of World Cup opener

Americans are again grappling with the intricacies of a sport the majority of their population has mostly remained baffled by as the Fifa Club World Cup has kicked off against a backdrop of nationwide protests against various issues under President Donald Trump.

Mamelodi Sundowns, who left last weekend for their participation in the newly-expanded 32-team Club World Cup, have made the local news in Florida.

Captain and 2024 Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy nominee Ronwen Williams and coach Miguel Cardoso were interviewed in a brief segment on the local WKMG News 6 channel at Sundowns’ base at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Sundowns have gone from South Africa’s winter to temperatures of just over 31°C in the Florida summer in Bradenton, about 180km from Orlando, where they open their Group F campaign against South Korea’s Ulsan HD at Inter&Co Stadium on Tuesday night (midnight South African time, 6pm Florida time).

“The conditions are amazing, the pitch is fantastic, the weather is hot with the sunshine, which you also need to adapt to,” Cardoso told WKMG.

“Our summers in South Africa are also very hot.”

“We understand that we represent not only Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa but also Africa.”

Williams said Sundowns are in the US to win matches.

“We want to win everything, we want to dominate, we want to compete in every tournament and we want to keep pushing the ceiling higher.”

Downs are in a tough group. They meet Borussia Dortmund in their second match at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday (6pm SA time) and Brazilian outfit Fluminense at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 25 (9pm).