By Jerome Pugmire
CAiro - South Africa's elimination from the Under-20 World Cup has done little to dampen the enthusiasm of coach Serame Letsoaka, who says his players have enough talent to form the core of the country's senior side for years to come.
South Africa was knocked out of the tournament after losing 2-1 in extra time to Ghana on Tuesday, despite being the better team for most of the match.
Letsoaka's team has grown together for four years, and he believes some are good enough to break into Bafana Bafana's squad in time for next year's World Cup at home.
"We have invested to make sure that these type of players will take us through to 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018. This was the idea (four years ago)," Letsoaka said. "We are saying that we are not going to dismantle this team, we are going to build on this team going forward ... This is not the end of the road for this team, there are better things to come."
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South Africa won its only African Cup of Nations title in 1996 and went out in the World Cup group stage in 1998 and 2002. But that record could improve over the next decade because of the players coming through the ranks under Letsoaka.
Midfielders Dylon Claasen, who is at Dutch club Ajax, and Thulani Serero, who plays at home for Ajax Cape Town, and outstanding striker Kermit Erasmus are three 19-year-old players to keep an eye on in the future.
Erasmus has a casual style that masks a lethal streak evident in the way he took his three goals at this tournament. He is arguably South Africa's most promising striker since Benni McCarthy burst onto the scene with Ajax in 1998.
Like Erasmus, McCarthy impressed at this tournament, in 1997. A year later, McCarthy was joint top scorer at the African Cup with seven goals, and also scored later that year at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Like McCarthy, Erasmus is making his mark early in the Dutch league.
Erasmus has been scoring for Excelsior on loan this season from Feyenoord, and he is one of the players Letsoaka thinks Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana could be looking at integrating into his squad.
"I know that the senior coach in South Africa has been watching these boys play. It depends what happens between now and March next year for (Santana) to make a decision," Letsoaka said. "I would love to see one or two of these boys being part of the senior national team, even if it is just gaining experience it would be very important."
Sapa-AP
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