My pick for the SA Premier Soccer League

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) kicked off this weekend with two wins and a few draws. There were some really good games I managed to get a glimpse of like the Free State derby between Bloemfontein Celtic and Free State Stars which ended in a 2-2 draw. This is going to be an intriguing South African soccer season as we look forward to the 2010 World Cup next June.

Teams have made some serious investments: Mamelodi Sundowns have nine new signings, Kaizer Chiefs brought across some good youngsters who are full of energy and surrounded by a few experienced veterans. Orlando Pirates finished the previous season in fine form and if they pick up where they left off, they will be the team to beat. SuperSport United have been champions for the past two years but then do they have what it takes to still be there come the end of the season? Will there be a lot of surprises? Which teams will be scraping for survival at the bottom of the league? Players will also be working very hard to be considered for the World Cup — I say it’s definitely going to be an interesting nine months.

League champions — Mamelodi Sundowns
They have one of the most formidable teams in the Premier League — the spine of the team is very good. They won the league in 2005/06 and 2006/07 thanks to their attacking soccer. They also have one of the best strikers in the country in Katlego Mphela, that is if he can stay injury-free. He was plagued by a lot of niggly injuries last year. He did show what he can do during the Confederations Cup game against Spain when he changed the game. Their coach is also an unknown so he might have a few tricks up his sleeve.

League’s near champions — Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, SuperSport United
It will be Orlando Pirates in second place, Kaizer Chiefs, SuperSport United and Platinum Stars in that order. There might be one or two clubs who plan to gatecrash this party but for the time being I will stick with the above clubs.

MTN 8 Wafa Wafa Champions — Ajax Cape Town
So far it has produced some shocks with SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates going out in the quarter-final stages. Last year’s defending champions Kaizer Chiefs are still in with a shot but Ertugral, former Kaizer Chiefs coach who left under a cloud, would like to prove something against his former club. My bet will be Ajax Cape Town and Golden Arrows for the final and Ajax to come out tops.

Telkom Knockout Champions — Orlando Pirates
They played very well in last season’s Telkom Charity Cup and were unlucky to lose to Ajax Cape Town in the final. It will be Pirates and one of the bigger clubs in Kaizer Chiefs, Moroka Swallows, Mamelodi Sundowns or SuperSport United.

Surprise package — Platinum Stars
I would go with Platinum Stars for this one. They have made a shrewd acquisition in coach Steve Komphela. He has also thrown a lifeline to Jabu Mahlangu and Mbulelo Mabizela, who are very talented players and can make any team a winning team on their day. They could be one of the teams to beat this season.

Relegation candidates — Mpumalanga Black Aces
So far we have seen clubs come up and go down immediately, Bay United did just that last season. Mpumalanga Black Aces are my biggest bet to go down and they also don’t have a home-ground advantage like most teams which can make a difference on any day. The relegation playoff is going to be a fight between Cape Town Santos, Maritzburg United and Jomo Cosmos. One of them will be relegated in the playoff.

Golden boot — Katlego Mphela
There are a number of very good strikers in South Africa although there has been a big drought for the national team. We know that when he plays and he is not injured he can give any defence a lot of trouble. He showed that by coming off the bench and scoring 2 great goals for Bafana against Spain. I think last season’s top goal scorer, Richard Henyekane, was a one-season wonder just like Ishmael Maluleke a few years back.

Star buy — Phenyo Mongala
He was the surprise star of the Nedbank Challenge last season when he led Tuks FC to the final of the cup — they narrowly lost to Moroka Swallows. He helped them knock out Kaizer Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town. He has been signed by Orlando Pirates and showed his quality by scoring a wonder goal against Manchester City in pre-season. He can score goals, is skilful and very athletic. He has a good foundation of blossoming at Pirates playing alongside the likes of Teko Modise.

Player of the season — Teko Modise
He is arguably the star of the PSL and has been for the past 2-3 season. He will be its main star again this coming season. I tip him to be the player of the season before he gets to move abroad after the 2010 World Cup.

It’s going to be interesting. This is my pick, you can agree to disagree. Pick your own PSL season favourites in the comment’s box — we’ll compare results at the end of the season.