Mamelodi Sundowns prioritise dominance in the new PSL season

Mamelodi Sundowns are eager to reclaim the Betway Premiership title, not just because they surrendered it to Orlando Pirates last season, but because they aim to re-establish the club’s blueprint: dominating South African football.

Sundowns kicked off their league campaign on Tuesday night with a 3-2 victory over TS Galaxy at the Mbombela Stadium. It was a gritty performance; the team required a late brace from substitute Sphelele Mkhulise to clinch the win.

While the performance lacked polish, coach Miguel Cardoso was unconcerned. He acknowledged that the win was vital for team morale as they look ahead to the remaining 29 league matches.

Sundowns’ mantra is built on competing for every available trophy. Consequently, while winning the CAF Champions League last season was a significant achievement, it was bittersweet, as missing out on the league title left the campaign feeling incomplete.

Sphelele Mkhulise snatches it for Sundowns at the death 🤩💥

Masandawana topple the Rockets in Mbombela 👏#BetwayPrem | #SSDiski pic.twitter.com/xhJHgzXn8i

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) August 11, 2026

Having previously secured an unprecedented eight consecutive league titles, Sundowns understand that the domestic championship remains the greatest honour to achievedfor any club.

“It’s obviously our intention to fight for the league, and compete as best we can,” Cardoso admitted. “The energy we invest must reflect our commitment to the title race.”

“It’s not about how we lost it before; it’s about our ambition to dominate South African football. We have to do it for the history of the club. We didn’t win the league last year, but there was a great deal we had to fight through throughout the competition.”

The win over Galaxy restored calm and lifted spirits within the team. They had begun the campaign in the MTN8 quarter-finals just days earlier, still under a dark cloud following the passing of midfielder Jayden Adams.

With Adams missing and Teboho Mokoena sidelined by injury for the clash against The Rockets, Cardoso explained the game plan that demanded Mkhulise make a meaningful impact when called upon.

“Our midfield last season was controlled by Jayden, Teboho, and Marcelo (Allende),” Cardoso said. “When you are missing two of them simultaneously, the team obviously has to reorganise and find a new dynamic.”

While the loss of Adams was tragic and untimely, Cardoso believes Mokoena’s injury could have been avoided; it was the result of a nasty tackle during the team’s 3-2 MTN8 quarter-final win over Polokwane City on Saturday.

The Portuguese coach called for the implementation of VAR to help curb officiating mistakes, emphasizing that players need protection at all times, especially those who serve as core figures in the senior setup.

“I think it’s important for South Africans to acknowledge that we still need to protect the players,” Cardoso said. “We cannot have a situation where Teboho, who was a national hero at the World Cup, returns for his first match at home and we allow such aggression against him.”

“I am not sure if you saw, but the injury inflicted on Teboho was a very rough one. The player who fouled him was not even shown a yellow card. There were many situations in the last match where the players needed protection.”