Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo in LILONGWE, Malawi
ISHMAEL WADI reckons CAPS United will be the beast to beat heading into the 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season, if the manner in which they have been preparing for the upcoming term is anything to go by.
CAPS United are in Lilongwe, Malawi for a pre-season tour anchored on team-building and bonding exercise.
They are also playing different Malawian top-flight teams, including Lilongwe giants Silver Strikers who they faced twice last Sunday and on Wednesday.
CAPS United won both games, with the match on Sunday finishing 1-0 courtesy of Brett Amidu’s wonderful strike.
They then followed that up with a more comprehensive 3-0 win on Wednesday via goals by McDonald Makuwe, Tinotenda Meke and Shaun Choto.
Makepekepe are scheduled to conclude their friendly series against MAFCO on Sunday before they hit the road via Mozambique where they will make a stop over and play another sparring game in Tete.
And Warriors striker Wadi, who is one of the most senior players in the current squad, is impressed with what he is seeing in the team.
He acknowledged that the cohesion and team spirit he is seeing now wasn’t there before the team travelled to Malawi.
“Yeah, I think it’s making sense right now, and I think we’re bonding really well because this training camp here is all about bonding,” Wadi said.
“I think we are really bonding, especially with the new guys who are coming into our team, and I think it’s looking sharp.
“You know I think there is a huge difference between the time we were home and now.
“We hardly spent the whole day together before coming here.
“But we are spending every second together here. We are getting to know each other better, getting to appreciate each other you know because now you can think now it’s all about bonding.”
“It’s all about building a strong team that can compete throughout the season, and I think now it’s shaping up. I think it’s really shaping up.”
The Warriors man knows the friendly games they are playing cannot be used as an accurate tool to measure how good the team is for now.
But he is loving the vibe and the winning culture the squad is building.
“I think the wins give us confidence going to our first game against Agama in the Premier Soccer League but we don’t have to look at these pre-season games because it’s all about pre-season, it’s about our fitness, it’s about our shape, it’s about our movement, whatever, but I think it’s looking good.
Makepekepe have received a lot of new players this pre-season which Wadi said are gelling into the system well.
“You know, the good thing is that the guys who are coming in, they know that they’re coming for a big club. As we know, CAPS United is a big club. I think it’s looking good.
“Everyone is understanding the project that we’re building right now here in Malawi.
“And I think everyone is understanding and it’s looking quite good.”
CAPS United have made their intentions clear for this year, but they know winning the league title will depend on their solidity in a league with so many clubs who have built formidable squads including reigning champions Scottland, runners-up MWOS, TelOne, Simba Bhora, Dynamos, Highlanders and Hardrock.
