In the story of Sundowns FC Developments 2025, the last few days painted a vivid picture of a champion team juggling the grit of domestic football, the pull of continental storylines, and an international chapter that reaches all the way to the Africa Cup of Nations. From a tense response to Orlando Pirates, to a hard-earned win over TS Galaxy, to a tantalising Caf Champions League draw that reunites the club with a familiar figure, the tapestry around Mamelodi Sundowns continues to grow richer and more complex.
Grinding out a response after Pirates
After a breathless 1-1 draw with Orlando Pirates at Loftus Versfeld, defender Keanu Cupido offered a candid assessment that felt both self-critical and forward-looking. He admitted that Sundowns fell short of their standards against the Buccaneers, and urged an immediate reset for the midweek meeting with TS Galaxy. It was a simple message, delivered with the urgency of a team that understands the weight of a title defence.
“As a player you always want to win each and every game and I think it was up to us to show up on the day,” Cupido said. Then came the line that lingered, “We let ourselves down. It’s a game we wanted to win to build confidence going into the next one and for CAF as well.”
There was context around that call to refocus. Sundowns were atop the Betway Premiership table, but the margins were tightening. TS Galaxy had just swept past Stellenbosch, and would not arrive in Tshwane meekly. Cupido underlined the need to lock in on the details, to neutralise Galaxy’s counterattacking pace, and to avoid the emotional hangover that sometimes follows a blockbuster fixture.
Arthur Sales shifts the mood at Loftus
On Wednesday night the words were matched by actions, if not by a flowing showcase. Sundowns beat TS Galaxy 1-0 at Loftus Versfeld, a result secured by substitute Arthur Sales, who provided the decisive touch in a game of narrow margins. It was not pretty, yet it carried the kind of satisfaction that only a stubborn, grinding win can bring to a dressing room seeking momentum.
Galaxy were full of ambition, especially before the interval. They slipped runners into space, targeted balls over the top, and repeatedly asked questions of a Sundowns back line that looked less serene than usual. The visitors created several clean looks but were betrayed by errant finishing and by the safe hands of Ronwen Williams, whose sharp reactions kept the match within reach.
There was drama on both ends. Mory Keita thought he had snatched the lead for Galaxy, only for the flag to end the celebration. Peter Shalulile had his own moment of frustration when he found the net after the whistle had already gone. Back from suspension, Teboho Mokoena also rattled the night with a thunderous long-range hit that forced a top save from Ira Tapé just before half-time.
Once in front, Sundowns managed the phases. They protected the ball, bled the clock, and kept Galaxy at arm’s length. It was measured and functional, and it mattered. The three points ensured the champions would enter the international break still first on the log, on 25 points from 12 matches. Orlando Pirates stayed in the slipstream, three points back with two matches in hand after seeing off Golden Arrows by 3-1.
A coach who sees the race tightening
Head coach Miguel Cardoso has been consistent in his message that this championship will not be a procession. Even when Sundowns led the Premiership after 11 games, he warned that the gap has narrowed. He credited rivals for smarter recruitment and deeper benches, a nod to the evolving ecosystem at the summit of South African football.
“I didn’t speak about us winning or losing the league, I said the league will be tough. What I mean is that the competition level has been raised,” Cardoso said, pointing to the stronger pre-seasons of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, and to the way Pirates can rotate without losing flow.
He referenced the turbulence his own team endured early on, from Lucas Ribeiro forcing a move abroad to Khuliso Mudau missing matches because of a contractual dispute. It was not the smooth launch that champions crave, yet Cardoso framed it as a phase that has been managed rather than a crisis that defined them. “It’s only now that we have the conditions to grow this team to the level that we want.”
Mphela’s perspective on patience and power
Former Sundowns star Katlego Mphela offered a complementary lens. Speaking on the Sundowns Pitchside podcast, he reminded supporters that the champions carried a heavy load last season. “With Sundowns, you must understand that last season they played more games than everyone. They went to the World Cup and didn’t have a proper pre-season, and new players came in.”
Mphela’s takeaway was not panic, it was patience. “The coach needs to work with them and try to find a solution. The way they are playing now, and with all these things I’ve mentioned, they are still in gear two.” He believes that by December, with injuries easing and combinations settling, the rhythm will return. He even pointed to the value of Themba Zwane, known as Mshishi, as his influence filters back in.
His view of the chasing pack was pragmatic. Sekhukhune United are credible contenders, Pirates are right there with quality, but the long race often hinges on depth. “Pirates and Chiefs that are coming through, but I always say that they still have a long way to go to catch up with Sundowns because of the resources they have and the quality of the players.”
A reunion in Africa with Rulani Mokwena
The Champions League draw added a delicious twist. Sundowns landed in Group C with MC Alger, Al Hilal of Sudan, and DR Congo side FC St Eloi Lupopo. That slate would be compelling under any circumstances, but the pairing with Alger carries an unmistakable human story, a reunion with former head coach Rulani Mokwena.
Mokwena left Sundowns for Wydad Casablanca at the start of last season, then took over at MC Alger ahead of this campaign. He has started quickly in Algeria, with five wins and a draw in the first six league matches. His team also fought through a nervy qualifier, edging Colombe Sportive on away goals after a 1-1 draw away and a goalless second leg at home.
The history runs deep. Mokwena was assistant to Pitso Mosimane when Sundowns lifted their only Champions League title in 2016, and he later stacked up silverware back in Tshwane with four Betway Premiership crowns, the CAF African Football League, the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup as a head coach or co-head coach. The emotional currents around his meetings with Sundowns are impossible to ignore, yet the football will demand cold clarity.
Group C also brings a familiar measure. Sundowns and Al Hilal have clashed repeatedly in recent seasons, sharing three straight group-stage campaigns between 2021 and 2023. The numbers favour the Brazilians, four wins and two draws in six encounters. A footnote adds a note of humility, Hilal did edge Sundowns back in 2008 in the final qualifying round for the Caf Confederation Cup group stage, 4-3 on aggregate. Memory can be both a warning and a guide.
The tactical thread that ties it together
From Cupido’s preview of Galaxy’s counterpunch, to the way the match actually unfolded at Loftus, there is a clear thread running through Sundowns’ week. Opponents are honing in on direct runs, balls in behind, and violent transitions designed to unbalance a possession team. That film will be studied in Algeria and Sudan too. There is no hiding at this level, only the need to adapt.
In that context, the return of key figures matters. The presence of Teboho Mokoena in midfield stiffens the spine and adds range to Sundowns’ passing and shooting. The decisiveness of Ronwen Williams turns anxious moments into recoveries. The punch off the bench from Arthur Sales was timely, a reminder that tight games can swing on one confident touch.
Cardoso’s remark about rivals raising their level echoes here. Sundowns will need to tighten the spacing behind the back line, defend the first ball and the second with equal focus, and keep their build-up clean to prevent cheap transitions. The template that Galaxy leaned on will be studied by upcoming opponents, so the response has to be sharp and immediate.
Kennedy Mweene’s international chapter with Zambia
While the first team pushes through domestic and continental assignments, there is another storyline that reflects the club’s broader football footprint. Goalkeeper coach Kennedy Mweene has been called into Zambia’s technical team for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. He will serve as goalkeeper coach under Moses Sichone, who has just been appointed as the new head coach.
Zambia’s bench has a distinctly Premier Soccer League flavour. Former Free State Stars, Lamontville Golden Arrows, and Polokwane City fullback Joseph Musonda is on fitness, Perry Mutapa, once of Orlando Pirates, joins as an assistant. Sichone is backed by Andrew Sinkala, and together they form a staff built on international exposure and hard-won experience. A statement from the Football Association of Zambia framed the decision as a deliberate investment in local resources with global seasoning.
It is a proud recognition of Mweene’s stature and expertise, a bridge between club and country. His involvement adds a layer of prestige and responsibility to Sundowns’ technical ranks, and it subtly reinforces the culture around goalkeeping at the club. For a squad that leans on precision in both penalty areas, this is no small thing.
Inside the dressing room mood
These are the kinds of weeks that test a group’s emotional intelligence. A high-profile draw with Pirates can drain legs and minds. A scrappy midweek win can feel underwhelming in the moment, yet it builds a different type of muscle. The players know that banners are sewn in May and June, not in early November. That awareness is tangible in Cupido’s straight talk and in Cardoso’s cool insistence on process.
There is also pride in the little battles. The sight of Ronwen Williams producing the right save at the right time, the calm of the midfield when the pass needs to go safe rather than spectacular, the hunger of a substitute to tilt a game, those are bricks laid in anticipation of the storms that are certain to come on the continent.
The race as it stands
Standings always look a touch deceptive with games in hand in play. After the Galaxy result, Sundowns sit at 25 points from 12 matches, three ahead of Pirates who have two fixtures in reserve. Sekhukhune United, who have impressed in the early going, are in the mix as well. Cardoso’s quip carried both edge and honesty, when asked about the table he said, “Who is on top at the moment, and how many teams are in the championship We have 15 behind us.”
It was not bravado so much as a reminder to keep perspective. The champions know the table does not award bonuses for November form. They also know the value of banking points during tricky stretches. The scrappy Loftus win qualified as exactly that, a small deposit that might grow in importance by the time the picture sharpens after the international window.
What to watch after the break
The international pause is often when narratives reset. For Sundowns, a few themes will shape the next block of fixtures and the Champions League group stage that looms.
- Squad cohesion and recovery,
- The response to direct play and counterattacks that opponents have targeted,
- The emotional and tactical subplots around the meetings with Rulani Mokwena’s MC Alger.
The human heartbeat of Sundowns
Strip back the tactics and tables and you find human threads that bind this club. A defender fronting up after a draw. A coach refusing to be seduced by an early lead. A club legend taking his expertise to a national team. A former coach waiting across a continental divide for a reunion that will be part chess match, part memory lane. That is why weeks like this are so compelling, they reveal character in small snapshots.
And so the story of Sundowns this week is not simply that they moved to 25 points, or that Pirates kept pace, or that a teenager somewhere in Tshwane will now daydream about scoring in North Africa. It is that the champions showed they can win without sparkle, speak with honesty, and carry their identity into different arenas without apology.
Final word
Cardoso is right about the tightening race. Mphela is right about patience and December. Cupido is right that focus is everything. Put those truths together and you get the picture of a team that is not chasing headlines, but rather building a platform for a long season that runs from Loftus nights to trips across the continent and a staffer on duty at Afcon. In the language of champions, this was a good week’s work.
“We’re focused on this game because TS Galaxy won their last game and they have a lot of confidence facing us. They are doing well, but we’re just focusing on us and our game.”
That was Cupido before Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the focus had already moved to the next challenge, exactly as he said it would.
