Sergio Traguil has encountered a tough beginning as the coach of KCCA FC. In a recent match against Libya’s Abu Salem in the CAF Confederation Cup, KCCA FC suffered a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the Second preliminary round, which has lowered their chances of advancing to the next round.
Before the return leg at St Mary’s Kitende Stadium last Saturday, where KCCA FC won 3-2, they faced a 1-0 loss to a well-organized BUL FC in their first game of the 2023/2024 Uganda Premier League season.
In the lineups for both legs, five of the starting eleven were players signed by Traguil, including Etienne Openga Katenga, Aires Emilson Gonzaga, Carlos da Silva Cungulo, Adilson Mfulu Bruno, and Joao Gabriel Esteves Cardoso. This raises questions about the suitability of the new signings.
Nonetheless, Sergio Traguil bears responsibility for his team. KCCA FC made ten new signings, including the return of Mustafa Kizza and junior graduates Alex Yiga, Abubakar Muyanja, and Anthony Emojong. This is a luxury not afforded to many Uganda Premier League clubs. Traguil’s vision for the team appears to differ from the current reality.
KCCA FC opted for an experienced foreign coach in Traguil, knowing he could handle the pressures and demands from top management. However, the absence of strikers among the ten signings remains a pressing question, with Etienne Katenga sometimes deployed as a forward.
Despite goals from Muhammed Shaban and Usama Arafat in the match against Abu Salem, doubts persist about KCCA FC’s striking force, especially given the missed goal-scoring opportunities.
Following KCCA FC’s elimination from the CAF Confederation Cup, Traguil shared his thoughts with Vision Sport, stating, “We played well and scored three goals, but that was not good enough. The first-leg result affected us greatly. We are trying to build a team, and I believe we still have a lot to improve.” Acknowledging the need for improvement offers hope to fans.
