Gor Mahia's star midfielder Austine Odhiambo is among several key names who have been dropped from the Harambee Stars squad ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifier matches.
Coach Benni McCarthy named his 23-man squad on Wednesday, August 27, with some notable inclusions and absentees from the squad, which exceeded expectations at the 2024 African Nations Championship.
One of the biggest names missing from the squad was Odhiambo, who netted two goals during the group stages of the CHAN tournament, effectively earning Kenya four points in Group A.
His absence came at the back of sitting out Harambee Stars' quarter-final clash against Madagascar, where he was an unused substitute as Kenya lost the game via penalties.
Other players who made the CHAN squad but missed out on the qualifiers squad include Mohamed Siraj, Daniel Sakari, Chrispine Erambo and Masoud Juma.
While Masoud Juma's absence from the squad was largely expected because of his struggles with injuries during CHAN, Odhiambo's omission sparked speculation, particularly since he was one of the better performers for the national team at the regional tournament.
Another notable absentee was Eric 'Marcelo' Ouma, a dependable left back who plies his trade in Poland with Raków Częstochowa. Ouma's absence, however, is due to a nibbling injury.
Since there are no restrictions to who the manager can call-up for the qualifiers, McCarthy has included several Kenyans playing abroad , including Brian Bwire, Collins Sichenje, Rooney Onyango, Richard Odada, Duke Abuya, Timothy Ouma, Emmanuel Osoro, Will Lenkupae, and star striker Michael Olunga.
Another CHAN hero for the Harambee Stars, Ryan Wesley Ogam, expectedly made the squad alongside his counterpart Brian Muchiri, who will support Olunga in the forward positions.
As per the qualifiers schedule on FIFA's official portal, Harambee Stars will kick off the next phase of their World Cup qualifying campaign against The Gambia on Friday, September 5 at the Kasarani Stadium. The match kicks off at 4pm, but the time is subject to change depending on other factors.
On Tuesday, September 9, four days later, Kenya will be at the Kasarani Stadium once again, facing off against Seychelles in another afternoon match at 4pm.
The Nyayo Stadium, which also hosted several CHAN matches, will host a Group F clash between The Gambia and Burundi. One interesting fact about this game is it will be played under floodlights since it has been scheduled for 10pm.
After Kenya's home fixtures, Benni McCarthy's side will round off their World Cup qualifiers group stage campaign with away games against Burundi on Monday, October 6 and Ivory Coast a week later.
