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Uganda Hippos take on Nigeria’s Flying Eagles today in a quarterfinal fixture of the 2023 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations currently taking place in Egypt.
A win will assure the team a World Cup ticket to Indonesia later in June. All the semifinalists will qualify for the global showpiece that is returning after four years.
Uganda made a flying debut at the 2021 tournament held in Mauritania going all the way to the final before losing to Ghana.
Delton Oyo, Isma Mugulusi and Alpha Thiery Ssali are the only players who featured in 2021 that are still in the Uganda Hippos folds.
So, where are the other history-makers?
Aziz Kayondo
The left-back is, perhaps the most travelled after that final. He moved from Vipers shortly after the 2021 U-20 Afcon in February to MFK Vyskov. The Czech club loaned him to Real Monarchs in the Major League Soccer Next Pro in the third tier of the USA football pyramid. The 20-year-old returned to Vyskov in November last year before moving to CD Leganes B in the Spanish 4th tier.
Ramathan Musa – (market Value $25k)
Musa joined Vyskov together with Kayondo and like his compatriot, was sent on loan to grow at FC Cincinnati in the MLS Pro Next. He returned to the Czech on November 30th last year.
Gavin Kizito – (market value $25k)*
Kizito captained the Hippos in Mauritania to the silver medal. He left Villa at the beginning of October last year to join Ittihad Alexandria in the Egyptian Premier League for a five-year contract that expires in June 2027.
Steven Sserwadda – (market value $100k)
Sserwadda joined Ugandan legend Ibra Ssekajja at the New York Red Bulls II after the tournament. He joined the side from KCCA on September 30, 2021, and swiftly earned a temporary promotion to the senior side nine months later. He completed the switch permanently in July last year.
Isma Mugulusi
The current captain of the team expects to go one step ahead of his peers by steering the team to the World Cup. A positive result will against Nigeria on Thursday night will make that happen. Mugulusi dumped Busoga United for SC Villa in August 2021. He struggled with an injury but was able to recover and earned himself a short-term deal to Makedonikos Neapolis in the Greek second tier until the end of this season.
Richard Basangwa
Basangwa was loaned by his boyhood club Vipers to Gaddafi for the entire 2021/22 season. His loan expired and returned to Kitende but he found green pastures in Egypt where he joined Wadi Degla in the second division.
Bobosi Byaruhanga
Bobosi is the last of the three players who joined MFK Vyskov in the Czech Republic. He left for Czech in August last year before being sent on loan to Austin II FC also in the MLS Next Pro. He is expected to return to Vyoskov in November this year.
Derrick Kakooza (market value $50k)
Kakooza made his name as the top scorer in Mauritania before earning a move to reigning Latvia topflight champions Valmiera FC from Police. He crossed back to Africa and settled at Egyptian Premier on the deadline day of the last January transfer window.
Others - Denis Ssenyondwa, James Begisa, Kenneth Semakula, Joseph Bukenya, Ivan Bogere (Villa), Andrew Kawooya (Villa), Najib Yiga (Vipers), Davis Ssekajja (Villa), Jack Komakech (Vipers), Delton Oyo (Villa), Samuel Ssenyonjo (B.Stars), Alpha Thierry Ssali (Proline), Ivan Asaba
NB - market values based on transfermkt
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