Ashley Cupido of Stellenbosch FC is rising up to the task of filling the void left by the sale of Iqraam Rayners. BackpagePix
IF ever there was an award for “People’s team of choice” something like a Players’ Player of the Season in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), surely Stellenbosch FC would be front runners if not the ultimate favourites.
The Maroons have consistently punched above their weight and as a result, on Thursday afternoon the whole of Mzansi will be waiting with eagerness to see who they are drawn against in the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-finals draw.
The draw will take place in Doha, Qatar and will be televised live at 4pm South African time.
The streak continues 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HubUTwUBcV
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) February 19, 2025
This will be followed by the Caf Champions League draw at 5pm, in which PSL giants Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, will be representing the Rainbow Nation.
Now, going back to Stellenbosch; what makes this more special for the Maroons is that they have made the quarter-finals in their very first attempt at the continental showpiece.
The Steve Barker-coached side made sure to get to draw day with elevated spirits as they maintained their excellent winning record against TS Galaxy on Tuesday night.
After having taken the lead through Devin Titus in Mbombela, Stellenbosch had to come back from a 2-1 deficit to clinch the tie 3-2 with two late Ashley Cupido goals.
This was the 15th match between the two sides and Stellenbosch have yet to lose against The Rockets in 15 clashes.
This was Stellenbosch’s 11th win against Galaxy.
That is a very rare record for any two teams to share in the PSL and, truth be told, it is not surprising that it favours the boys from the Winelands.
Stellenbosch has actually many rare touches about them as far as the PSL is concerned.
Besides continuously serving as the feeder team for the giants from Gauteng (they’ve sold several players to Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United), they never lose their momentum as would often happen with “selling teams”.
In fact, Barker has become something of a master of replacing the outgoing stars. What Titus is for Stellenbosch right now is bigger than what Ashley Du Preez was before he was snatched by Chiefs in 2022.
Even further, Cupido’s two late goals to win the Mbombela contest on Tuesday, display not only the character of the team but also his response to the expectation of filling the space left by Iqraam Rayners.
The Bafana Bafana striker (Rayners), who was the leading man at the Winelands, was bought by Sundowns at the beginning of the season.
With all these ongoing changes, Stellenbosch have held their own competing for every cup on offer. They reached the final of the MTN8 before getting eliminated in the Carling Knockout.
Right now they have two quarter-finals to look forward to with the Nedbank Cup pitting them up against Chiefs.
It is a pity there is no “People’s team award” and so Barker and his boys will have to find a way to lift some silverware to really highlight the respect they deserve.