Harambee Stars went into the Group F matchday eight fixture with high hopes following their successful campaign in the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN), where they reached the knockout stages before losing 4-3 on penalties to Madagascar.
Despite being pooled alongside two-time CHAN winners DR Congo and Morocco, Kenya finished top of Group A with an unbeaten run. They defeated DR Congo 1-0 and Morocco 1-0. The CHAN performance had raised hope in Kenyans heading into the World Cup qualifying fixture against the Scorpions, which Gambia won 3-1.
With Kenyans hoping to see a bunch of CHAN players in the starting XI, the South African legend named a different squad filled with European-based players, with striker Michael Olunga of Al Arabi leading the way, while former Dundee United midfielder Richard Odada led the midfield role alongside defensive midfielder Timothy Ouma, who features for Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznan, on loan from Slavia Prague.
CHAN heroes, led by forward Ryan Ogam, who had scored two goals against Morocco and Zambia, winger Boniface Muchiri, Manzur Suleiman Okwaro, and Alpha Onyango were among those who dropped to the bench.
World Cup qualifiers are on different level
Defending his changes, McCarthy said Kenya would have lost 10-0 if he did not integrate the CHAN squad with players from European leagues.
Despite Kenya starting strongly, it was Gambia under former Gor Mahia coach Johnathan McKinstry, who went ahead with only 12 minutes played when Saidy Sinyan flicked in from a Yankuba Minteh delivery.
The Brighton & Hove Albion winger then doubled the lead in the 26th minute, finishing off a swift counter after Musa Barrow’s through-ball split the home back line. Barrow added a ruthless third in the 38th minute, steering inside the near post to silence the home crowd.
Kenya regrouped after the interval and finally forced a response when Ogam, who had come on as a substitute, converted Sven Yidah’s cross with only eight minutes left on the clock.
“CHAN is for the African continent, World Cup qualifiers, international level, so now you are dealing with players who play in Serie A, in Premier League, in LaLiga.
"I think I don’t need to tell you, CHAN level, no disrespect to anybody, but the Kenyan first league, compared to Premier League and LaLiga, Bundesliga, are two different worlds, my friend,” said McCarthy.
“It is two different worlds and so you can’t expect me to play my CHAN team, in which I would have loved to, but I am also being realistic, you want me to lose five or 10-0, and then I have to answer, with people saying Benni out, because people like you want me to take a risk, and play CHAN players?”
He added: “Come on men, this is international level, this is top level, but you take the opportunity to build players for the future, and that is why we have quality players from Europe that we integrate to help the young players, and if I give you my own assessment, if I played Alphonse (Omija), Sylvester (Owino), and I played Lewis (Bandi), and Aboud (Omar), we get 10.
“So, I have to be realistic also, it is a learning curve, and I know one day we will get there, but for this, playing CHAN players against a team like Gambia, we don’t have a chance.”
Kenya lost because of their own mistakes
On why Kenya lost, he said: “Learning experience for our boys. Not what we expected or wanted, but you never drop your head (and) after we go 3-0 down in the first half, we never gave up, but at this level, when you play and you make the mistakes that you make that we did, you get punished.”
“At this stage, when you make the mistakes we did, first goal and instead of trying to dribble at the back you lose the ball and they get the corner and with the same people not picking up their men and allowing players to get free headers inside the box and with the players they have, they play in Europe, they will take the opportunities.”
Kenya will regroup ahead of their next fixture against Seychelles at the same venue on Tuesday.
