National Super League: Talking points from the weekend’s action

Migori Youth, Mathare United, and Kisumu All Stars were among the eye-catching performers of round nine of the National Super League that concluded last weekend.

A lot happened over the weekend including SS Assad's prolonged away match struggles, the team remained winless in five attempts far from Ukunda Showground shipping in three goals to one at Migori Stadium courtesy of Clinton Okoth's brace and captain Felix Otieno's first half-heroics.

While Assad struggled, Mulembe United were back on track registering their first back-to-back wins of the campaign and a maiden away victory as Kennedy Onzere's first-half strike silenced Rainbow FC in their own backyard.

Here are other highlights of round nine:

Mara Sugar is back on track

Coach less and three games without a win was the story of Mara Sugar before the appointment of Vincent Nyaberi that had started throwing the promotion hopefuls' chances of advancing to the big stage into doubt, but what a way to announce themselves back? The Millers stunned the visiting Mombasa Elite 3-2 at the Awendo Green Stadium thanks to a red shot Philemon Nyakwaka brace and Isaac Kichula strike to keep on toes with league lead group and reignite the Sugar Men's desire of gracing the Football Kenya Federation Premier League.

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Who will Stop Mathare United and Kisumu All-Stars?

Leonard Odipo’s and Charles Bruno’s Mathare United and Kisumu All Stars respectively, have been significantly better since the start of the season, going on a winning streak and securing crucial victories against tough opponents.

And it was this newfound winning mentality that helped Mathare dispatch a stubborn Mully Children Family FC, who have endured a rough start to the season, credit to Meshack Ochieno's 73rd strike while All Stars exhibited nerves of steel as they came from a goal down to silence a struggling Idd Shikanda’s lead Dimba Patriots at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu thanks to captain Michael Karamor and Mbaruk Mohammed goals.

The former FKF Premier League side's performances leave them occupying all the available automatic promotion slots with the slum boys at the helm on 19 points one ahead of second-placed Otenga.

MCF’s leaky defense and blunt striking keep them in the relegation battle

MCF endured another miserable afternoon on Sunday, suffering a narrow but displeasing 1-0 defeat at the hands of a ruthless and hard-pressing Mathare United, with the club succumbing to a fourth defeat of the season. At the heart of manager Robert Orangi’s growing list of problems is a defense that is leaking goals at a concerning rate and a blunt strike force that has scored the second least number of goals this term. After nine games to date, Mully have already conceded 10 times and scored a mere 6 times. The extent of the problem was on full display against Mathare, with the backline and protecting players caught flat-footed, prone to turnovers, and slow to second phases all too often with a non-creative midfield that had the strikers fail to test Stephen Njunge in goal and struggle to unlock Mathare’s deep block on numerous occasions.

Successful teams more often than not are built on a sturdy defense and, with teams picking up points around them, Orangi needs to find solutions quickly to take advantage of a run of winnable games ahead or face the chop to the third tier.

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Ouma saves United again

Nairobi United have dropped points already this season but remains only one of two sides along with Luanda Villa who are unbeaten. The 1-1 draw with Vihiga Bullets was another tough contest but it showed that United are never out of a game. A big reason for their ability to hang on is the contributions of captain and hard-tackling defender Isaac Ouma. The youngster knows her role under Paul Okatwa Odhiambo and has forged a good understanding with the rest of the teammates.

Gusii Walkover an embarrassment to the league

With football enthusiasts in the country engulfed in numerous talks on how to make our league competitive and marketable beyond our borders, Gusii FC failing to show up for their weekend encounter against Kibera Black Stars was in bad faith as it derails efforts to rank the league among the best.

The walkover showed how badly our clubs are run without a clear strategy and begs the question why take part in a league you cannot sustain? Before the start of the campaign, clubs should be pinned to show their ability to sustain themselves in the competition for at least two seasons and their ability to pay their staff with ease to discourage the norm of giving out games cheaply.

Heavy penalties should also be given to clubs that fail to honor games, a 15-point deduction and a hefty fine will play a crucial role in ending this growing vice in the second tier.

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