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Ian Otieno was the man preferred in goal by new Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy and given he plays in South Africa, there are factors that favour him over his rivals.
Harambee Stars goalkeeper Ian Otieno won the race ahead of Faruk Shikalo and Brian Bwire for the starting place between the posts in Kenya’s World Cup qualifiers in March.
Otieno had last played for the national team in October 2021 during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, when they lost 5-0 to Mali, and since then, he has been making the bench but did not get minutes.
However, under coach Benni McCarthy, Otieno was the man preferred in goal and he had mixed fortunes as he conceded five goals in two matches.
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Otieno came up trumps after 30 minutes of their match against The Gambia on Thursday when he saved Musa Barrow’s penalty but he could not do much when the forward fired home the opener although he was beaten at his near post by Yankuba Minteh who scored the second for the Scorpions.
The Gambia’s third goal was a defensive mistake that left him exposed before Kenya fought back to draw the game 3-3.
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Against Gabon, Otieno was beaten from close range when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left unmarked in the box, although he got a hand on the shot, before the former Arsenal striker sent him the wrong way from the penalty spot in a game The Panthers won 2-1 in Nairobi.
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Otieno also made a few saves in both games although his display still suggested goalkeeping is an area that will need improvements.
However, among the options available to McCarthy, Otieno perhaps has an edge given where he plays.
The goalkeeper plays in South Africa for Premier Soccer League club Richards Bay, where he has been impressive since joining ahead of this season, and given McCarthy has an all-South African backroom staff, it will be easy to track his performances.
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Harambee Stars goalkeeping coach Moeneeb Josephs is a keen and avid follower of the PSL and comments weekly on the league, which means he will have his eyes on the goalkeeper more than the others.
Josephs also has contacts in the PSL who will give him first-hand information about the performances of his Kenyan players, making it easy to make judgement.
Granted, Bwire also plays in South Africa, where he turned out for Polokwane City, he is not first-choice for the club, unlike Otieno who is a regular for the Kwazulu-Natal based side.
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11:00 - 18.03.2025
Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars assistant slams South Africa’s best team over lack of sportsmanship
Harambee Stars goalkeeper trainer Moeneeb Josephs has hit out at the South African giants for not showing respect and sportsmanship following their recent league loss.
That means Otieno will be watched more by Josephs compared to his rivals who play in Kenya and South Africa and could be what wins him a stay of execution in the national team unless he dip in performance.
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