Challenge Cup champs Cape Town City ties up loose ends

Newly-crowned champions, Cape Town City, carried the hopes of their club, city, and supporters on their shoulders as they faced Eagles Performance Academy (EPA) in Sunday's Engen Knockout Challenge final, at Erica Park, in Belhar. Considering the club’s recent misfortunes, having lost their PSL status in June, it was now up to the youngsters to show what the future might look like for the Citizens.

Champions in 2022 and last year’s losing finalists, what was at stake was more than just a trophy; they were there to round up unfinished business and give their fans hope that they can make it back to the top flight. 

City dominated from the word go, camping out in the Eagles' half for most of the match to secure a 3-1 win and the opportunity to represent the Mother City at the national championships later this year. 

City got their campaign off to a good start, topping the table in their group during the opening rounds despite losing their last group game against Valhalla United.

In the quarter-finals, they beat Norway Parks 2-1 and Safa Cape Town Academy 1-0 in the semi-finals, setting up a cup final clash against tournament newcomers EPA, who, in only their first Challenge Cup appearance, proved to be the proverbial dark horse.

Coach Byron Cottle was there when they won it in 2022 and again in 2024 when they lost on penalties against Stellenbosch FC. On Sunday, he was there to join the squad in celebrating victory in the 2025 edition.

“We made it our objective to do our best for the club and our supporters, to restore belief and light for all involved, and I'm pretty sure we have achieved that objective with distinction,” he said.

“The knockout stages are always where things start getting more serious. It became tricky in the quarter-final against Norway Parks after conceding in the first 15 seconds of the game. “However, the boys remained calm and continued to put up a dominant performance to overcome our opponents and win 2-1,” said Cottle, quick to commend the organisers on staging another bumper tournament, and his rivals for being super competitive.

“Well, you have to give credit to all community teams that competed, the improvement they have shown is tremendous, competing against pro clubs and doing well with the little to no resources they have at their disposal, is nothing short of remarkable,” he said.

In what Cottle describes as a “nail-biting semi-final,” his side came up against a hard-working Safa Cape Town Academy who, after trailing 1-0 for most of the match, pulled one back in the last five minutes, leading to a dreaded penalty shootout.

Thankfully, said Cottle, heroics from goalkeeper Gennaro Johnson, who saved two penalties, and the quality of their kickers, secured their spot in the final.

Although happy with the result, it has not been all smooth sailing for Cottle and co as they’ve had to re-adjust their plans after the tournament was called off a few weeks ago due to the recent rains and having to deal with the club being relegated to the First Division.

“All things considered, the boys showed tremendous quality and maturity,” he said. “We had to focus a lot on getting the boys motivated again, regardless of what happened. 

“What worked for us is motivating the boys and getting them in the correct frame of mind, mentally, to overcome all we have been through,” he said.

Safa Cape Town Academy goalkeeper coach Keenan Smith echoed Cottle’s sentiments regarding the level of play at the tournament.

“The standard was high. LFAs are investing in their youth, and community clubs showed that they can compete toe-to-toe with academies,” he said. 

“The gap is closing fast. Everyone came to win, not just participate. I was especially impressed with Valhalla United and Norway Parks—they both had fantastic runs and eliminated some big-name teams,” he said.