Bambanani Mbane and Shiwe Nongwanya have both been called up to the Banyana Banyana side to take on the USA in an international friendly on Saturday.

The international friendly will be crucial for the South African side as the final squad for the Rio Olympic Games will be selected after the team returns from the USA.

Speaking to the Bloemfontein Celtic website, team manager Edwin Lisene emphasised the importance of match against the World champions and commended coach Vera Pauw for selecting these hardworking players.

‘Since Vera took over she has revolutionised women football in this country giving opportunities to everyone including those in the so-called remote areas and clearly ladies football is in the right hands,’ Lisene said.

‘However, I must highlight that it needs a lot of commitment and resilience from these ladies to be finally selected for the Olympics.

‘Both Shiwe and Bambanani are the backbone of our team and their level of professionalism has hugely improved hence the positive believe they will be considered. We are fortunate that to have appropriate training facilities and receive magnificent support from our management which contributes to the success of the team,’ she added.

Banyana Banyana will use this experience in preparation for the upcoming Rio Olympics in August. This will be the first time that Banyana Banyana and the Stars and Stripes will meet.

Kick-off has been set for 19:00.

Image: Bloemfontein Celtic website