{"id":160726,"date":"2026-04-21T15:39:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T15:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup"},"modified":"2026-04-21T16:35:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:35:01","slug":"onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup","title":{"rendered":"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Kenya. <\/strong> <\/span>Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari has declared the club\u2019s ambition to fight for silverware this season, insisting the Brewers are fully focused on winning the Mozzart Bet Cup and finishing strongly in the league.<\/p>\n

The centre-back, who has recently broken into the starting lineup, believes Tusker are building momentum at a crucial stage of the campaign.<\/p>\n

Onchwari made his long-awaited debut for Tusker on February 2, 2025, in a goalless draw against KCB FC, marking a significant milestone in his career after months of patience and perseverance.<\/p>\n

The towering defender had endured a frustrating seven-month wait following his move from Muhoroni Youth in July 2024, spending 18 consecutive matches on the sidelines before finally earning his opportunity. When the moment arrived, he seized it with composure, playing the full 90 minutes and helping the Brewers secure a clean sheet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI waited for my chance, and when it came, I told myself I could not waste it,\u201d said Onchwari. \u201cEvery minute I play now is about proving I belong at this level.\u201d<\/p>\n

His long-awaited debut earlier this year marked a turning point, as he delivered a composed performance to help the team secure a clean sheet.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping a clean sheet in my first match gave me confidence,\u201d he said. \u201cIt showed me that I can compete and help this team win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tusker\u2019s recent form has been anchored in defensive discipline, with Onchwari emerging as a reliable presence at the back. Head coach Julien Mette has praised the defender\u2019s growth and attitude in training and matches.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlex is a player who listens, who learns, and who applies,\u201d said Mette. \u201cThat is why he is improving so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The French tactician noted that Onchwari\u2019s composure has contributed significantly to the team\u2019s defensive stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gives us stability,\u201d Mette said. \u201cWhen you have a defender who reads the game well and stays calm, it lifts the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the growing recognition, Onchwari remains focused on collective success rather than individual accolades.<\/p>\n

\u201cFootball is not about one player,\u201d he said. \u201cAs defenders, we work as a unit. When we keep a clean sheet, it belongs to the whole team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tusker have shifted their attention to the Mozzart Bet Cup, where they have advanced to the quarter-finals and are targeting a first domestic cup title since 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know what the Mozzart Bet Cup means,\u201d said Onchwari. \u201cIt is a chance to win a trophy and represent Kenya in Africa. That is a big motivation for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The defender emphasised the importance of restoring the club\u2019s winning culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis club has a history of winning,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to bring that feeling back. We want to give the fans something to celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Mette has also underlined the importance of the competition, describing it as a key objective for the team this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cup is very important for us,\u201d said Mette. \u201cIt is not just about winning matches\u2014it is about building a winning mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tusker have shown resilience in knockout fixtures, relying on tactical discipline and defensive organisation to progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn knockout football, you must be disciplined,\u201d Mette said. \u201cOne mistake can cost you everything, so we are preparing the players mentally and tactically.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Kenyan Premier League, Tusker remain in the top half of the table and are determined to finish the season strongly despite inconsistency earlier in the campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeating Gor Mahia showed what we are capable of,\u201d said Onchwari, referring to their recent win over Gor Mahia. \u201cIf we stay focused, we can finish the season strongly.\u201d<\/p>\n

He believes consistency will be key in the remaining fixtures. \u201cWe have quality in this squad,\u201d Onchwari continued. \u201cNow it is about maintaining high standards in every match.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mette echoed those sentiments, insisting there is still much to play for in the closing stages of the season. \u201cThere are still important matches to play,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to finish as high as possible and carry momentum into next season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Onchwari is also motivated by the prospect of earning a call-up to the national team, Harambee Stars, but insists his immediate focus remains on club performance. \u201cPlaying for Harambee Stars is a dream for every player,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I know it starts with performing well for my club.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that consistency and hard work will be crucial in achieving that goal. \u201cIf I keep working hard and improving, the chance will come,\u201d he said. \u201cI just have to stay ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Tusker competing on multiple fronts, Onchwari believes the squad is heading in the right direction. \u201cWe are building something strong here,\u201d he said. \u201cThe goal is clear\u2014win matches, win trophies, and make this club proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mette remains confident that the team can deliver on its ambitions. \u201cWe want to compete for everything,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd with players like Alex stepping up, we are on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Kenya<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Kenya. Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari has declared the club\u2019s ambition to fight for silverware this season, insisting the Brewers are fully focused on winning the Mozzart Bet Cup and finishing strongly in the league. The centre-back, who has recently broken into the starting lineup, believes Tusker are building momentum at a crucial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":160724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[544],"class_list":["post-160726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-kenya"],"yoast_head":"\nOnchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup - kenya<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press - Kenya. Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press - Kenya. Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"kenya\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T15:39:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T16:35:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1534\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"863\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T15:39:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-21T16:35:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup\"},\"wordCount\":835,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Kenya\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup\",\"name\":\"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup - kenya\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T15:39:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-21T16:35:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"-article-header-tag\\\"> Africa-Press - Kenya. Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg\",\"width\":1534,\"height\":863,\"caption\":\"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/\",\"name\":\"kenya\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup - kenya","description":"-article-header-tag\"> Africa-Press - Kenya. Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup","og_description":"-article-header-tag\"> Africa-Press - Kenya. Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup","og_site_name":"kenya","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2026-04-21T15:39:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-21T16:35:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1534,"height":863,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup","datePublished":"2026-04-21T15:39:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-21T16:35:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup"},"wordCount":835,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg","keywords":["Kenya"],"articleSection":["all news","sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup","name":"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup - kenya","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-21T15:39:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-21T16:35:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"-article-header-tag\"> Africa-Press - Kenya. Tusker FC defender Alex Onchwari ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/kenya\/sites\/28\/2026\/04\/sm_1776788983.906709.jpg","width":1534,"height":863,"caption":"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/all-news\/onchwari-backs-tusker-for-strong-finish-in-league-and-cup#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Onchwari Backs Tusker for Strong Finish in League and Cup"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/","name":"kenya","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160726"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160737,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160726\/revisions\/160737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}