The KCSE holidays are close. Training stretches longer now. More time on the pitch, more repetition, more chances to get things wrong and then get them right.
Passing drills start simple. Call the name. Make the pass. But even that carries weight. You have to know who is around you. You have to speak. Slowly, the pitch gets louder.
Week 1 had uncertainty. Quiet voices, half-calls, hesitation. Now it shifts. Instructions come sharper. Players begin to correct each other. They react faster, sometimes too fast, emotions rising over small fouls or missed chances.
This is where it changes. The fun is still there, but it begins to sit alongside something else. Work.
Wearing the same shirt is not enough. The work is in how they show up for each other.
One session stands out. The drills repeat again and again. Not quite right, so it starts over. A missed detail, back to the beginning. The whole group moves together. No one coasts through it.
Coach Brice steps in. Raises the level. If he wins, it repeats. If he loses, they move on. It becomes a challenge, something shared. He asks a question that hangs for a moment: who lifts the team when it drops? There is no quick answer.
Oluniyi speaks into it as well. Effort has to be complete. Every time. Not just running, but thinking. Positioning. Awareness. The details that turn a group into something more.
There are still lighter moments. Laughter between drills. Small jokes. Food shared after. But even in those, there is a sense that something is forming.
Saturday: friendly against Rosslyn and Ambassadors
It’s the FA Cup quarter-finals, and somewhere far away in England, Liverpool are taking on Manchester City in what will become a 4-0 thrashing. At the same time, Kisasa FC are playing their third friendly of the season. One win, one draw so far. This one is against their teammates and a mix of Rosslyn varsity boys.
The first half is 40 minutes. The match lets the boys get a feel for competitive league football, with the league opener approaching at the end of April. The team is coming together, as is Kisasa FC. Players in and out, uncertainties around the status of some star players also trialling at other clubs. As the groundwork continues to come together, the team and staff press on with the ambitious goal of success in the Diamond League.
Today, no one plays more than 60 minutes. Game management and rotation are important aspects for balance in team building. On the starting line-up are players who have consistently shown up: Asher (113), Lefty (13), Keffa (30), Bramwell (114), Morris (90).
They swap positions as the game goes on, Coach Brice making them adapt and testing their strengths and awareness. You can hear the opposing team talking: “Hiyo goal ya mbili, 90 degrees ndani, stunning shot.” It’s uncertain if they’re talking about Liverpool vs Manchester City or this game, but both would be true. It’s a testament to the progress the boys are making. Talking is sounding better; players telling each other shifts.
At half, Coach Brice says “Clap for yourselves.” Coach Tuji guides them and they have bananas during the practice half. In this half there’ll be a Kisasa-Ambassadors mix, in the continuing assessment of the players’ versatility, adaptability, and match confidence.
Coach Brice firmly directs that “in the first two minutes, the keeper needs to know the names of his back line.” And, as always, they should enjoy their play.
Things are about to get fun.
Before the half, balls fly across the pitch reminiscent of the large stadiums these boys see their stars play in. Coach Brice asks the boys on the bench who their MVP of the match is. There’s freedom for the boys to laugh, kick the ball around, joke around. It leaves them room to challenge opponents like the Rosslyn varsity boys, who are a bit older, bigger, more physical.
Kisasa FC boys are now mixed in with Ambassadors. Peter, wearing 101, scores from the bottom right. They’re playing fearlessly. They switch sides on the pitch. Morris is developing into one heck of a striker. He scores, using his body to push off the defender probably two years older than him.
Practice shows in the game. They’re moving as a unit, more and more. Regardless of the scoreline, which at this stage is loosely kept watch on, it’s another positive performance from the boys.