Second tier side Nairobi United will play in the final of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Cup against record Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia, and despite the difference in stature, United are dreaming of history.
No Kenyan second tier team has beaten a top flight team to lift the Cup in its history, and United, under the tutelage of coach Nicholas Muyoti have something up in their sleeves.
Muyoti says playing in Continental football is one of their biggest allures as they prepare for the game this weekend, and the underdog tag they have is what pushes them into the game.
They have recently earned promotion to the top flight after winning the National Super League and are thus not an easy opponent.
On their way to the Cup final, United have eliminated Premier League sides Tusker FC, KCB and former champions Kakamega Homeboyz, further underscoring the fact that they are not an easy side.
Muyoti joined the team mid-season and has worked miracles with the capital city based side with the two achievements; helping them earn Premier League promotion, as well as getting them to the Cup final being the icing on his cheesy cake.
The former Harambee Stars midfielder exclusively spoke to Telecomasia.net on his Cup ambitions, United’s run to the Premier League and what the future holds for him and his team.
- Your team has had a tremendous run in the Cup. What has been the motivation?
- Honestly, the motivation has been the players themselves. FCor me I was saying we would use the Cup games as possible training matches for our league games because our primary priority was promotion. But the players psyched themselves up and said no, we are going in to compete. They said they want this Cup and if you look at how they have been playing each game, they have shown they really want it. The motivation has been the players themselves.
- And what do you think drove them to have that ambition to win and come all this way?
- Playing Continental football has been the ultimate dream for most of them. The only way for us to do that next season is to win the Cup. So why not go all the way? They know how much continental football means to each individual player in terms of exposure and just playing at the highest level. That is what bore the hunger and desire. They want to go there and make history in Kenya by being the first team from the second tier to achieve that.
- You are playing Gor Mahia, the most successful club in Kenya in the final. How big of a challenge is this for you?
- It is honestly a big challenge because Gor is a big club and have won this tournament numerous times. But, we have prepared well for them. We are really motivated especially after winning the NSL and gaining promotion to the Premier League. We have done a good job so far this season and we are going in to that game with a relaxed mind and a relaxed spirit.
We have shown in all the matches we have played that we don’t panic in big matches. We have played Tusker, KCB and Homeboyz and won and played well while at it. That is the same confidence we are approaching the Gor Mahia game with.
We know they are coming in to the game wounded especially after failing to win the league and they know this is their only chance at silverware and continental football. They will be under pressure and this might work against them. For us, we have no pressure because we are the underdogs. But we want to show that our run has not been a fluke and we are equally competitive.
- It has been a dream run for you as a coach since you took over at the club in mid-season, securing promotion and getting to the Cup final. How has this been for you personally?
- When the team approached me before I left City Stars, they told me about their project and their intention to gain promotion to the Premier League. They told me, if I think I can get them to the Premier League, then I am the man they were looking for. I love challenges and that is the biggest reason I decided to take this job on. I wanted a new challenge. Before Nairobi United, there was Shabana and I was also considering taking on that challenge.
As a coach, you should never stay in a comfort zone. You always need to challenge yourself. At City Stars we were just okay maintai9ning our position in the league but here, the demands are high and the ambition is big. There is pressure to achieve something and that brings the best out of you as a coach.
- Looking back in hindsight, would you say you made a perfect decision to join Nairobi United?
- Absolutely yes. I have won my first trophy as a coach in the National Super League. At Kakamega Homeboyz I achieved second place in the league, at City Stars fifth and now I have won a league title. But again, this achievement is not just mine alone. I came in here alone and I have been working with other technical bench members I found here and they have been super supportive. We have worked together as a team and all these achievements are a fruit of teamwork.
Everyone has played their part from the management to the coaches, players and the fans for us to achieve all this. When I made the move I didn’t think that we would hit these levels of success so quick but I am delighted.
- Finally, Nairobi United’s first season in the top flight beckons. Definitely has it started playing at the back of your mind in terms of what you would want the team to achieve in the first season?
- Yes, and no. No because we still have a Cup final to play in some days and if we win, it will dictate a lot in terms of our plans for the new season. But definitely as a club, we cannot be promoted and then go down again. We need to maintain our place in the league but we also have to go in with ambition to compete and show that we are equally a good club. We need to go in with a good and solid plan straight from our pre-season recruitment to how we actually prepare on the pitch.
