It looks like it will be ages before any of the local players breaks the record set by former Township Rollers player Mmoni ‘States’ Segopolo in the Coca Cola cup.
Segopolo won the Coca Cola cup for a record four times with Township Rollers. That was in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2005.
In 1993, 1994 and 1996, Segopolo was playing as a striker. But he switched sides and started playing as a defender in 2005. He played in the defense, and acquitted himself quite well, until he retired.
Segopolo also nearly won the Coca-Cola cup in 2003 when Rollers lost to finalists Mogoditshane Fighters, courtesy of Mompati Banda’s goal.
Center Chiefs will be playing against Township Rollers in this year’s finals, and most of its players will be looking to win the Coca Cola cup for the second time, since Chiefs last won it only two years ago.
Most Rollers players will be looking for their first Coca Cola cup medal. Only two of Rollers’ current crop of players tasted the Coca Cola cup success in 2005.
These are Thapelo Balepi and Khomari Mothuba. But both players are almost always on the bench.
But the two teams have players who have won the Coca Cola cup with other clubs, and will be looking for successive glory.
The Mochudi Centre Chiefs duo of Dirang Moloi and Mpoeleng Mpoeleng together with Rollers’ Pius Kolagano will be looking to win the cup for the second time.
Moloi and Mpoeleng won the Coca-Cola with Notwane in 2006 when they defeated BDF XI 2-1, while Kolagano won it with Santos before joining Rollers.
It will be interesting to see who among the players will be in the winning team.
The only player who has been playing consistently is Moloi, while the others have been on and off.
Kolagano is still a pretty much solid player, but his main undoing is that he is prone to injury.
But he has been playing well of late, and he might lead the Rollers defense. Mpoeleng has been warming the bench for most of the time since joining Chiefs. He only sees action as a substitute and for that matter when the team has a healthy lead. He is yet to convince the coach that he deserves to be on the starting lineup. Moloi will definitely be playing because he is the engine of the team with his wizardry skills.
He has been a thorn in most teams’ defense, and he is one player Rollers have to worry about. Moloi does not only execute deadly and timely passes, he also scores regularly.
He scored a beautiful free kick in their semi-final encounter against Gunners.
