Opta Jabu Newsletter: 28 March
The best & worst PSL teams in history after 20 games.
By the end of this coming weekend, 14 of the 16 PSL top-flight teams will have played 20 league games this season. Sundowns (18) and TS Galaxy (19 after this weekend) are the only exceptions. Sundowns were on course to set a new PSL record for most points by a team after 20 games. However, the 1-1 draw with SuperSport on 12 March means they can no longer set a new record; they can only equal the existing record (52 points from 20 by 2022/23 Sundowns). That said, the Brazilians still need to win their next two games to reach that total. “Fortunately” for them, Game 19 is at home to Richards Bay on Tuesday (15th on the league table at the time of writing), and Game 20 is away to Cape Town Spurs on Saturday (16th on the league table).
In this week’s newsletter, we take a deep dive into history to see the best and worst teams after 20 games of a PSL season.
The best teams after 20 games
Under Rulani Mokwena last season, Sundowns became the first side in PSL history to amass 50 points from 20 games. Ten of these games were under the co-coaching arrangement with Manqoba Mngqithi (W7 D1 L2). The other 10 of these were under Mokwena’s sole coaching (W10 D0 L0), and formed part of the PSL record 15-game unbeaten run. In PSL history, these are the teams with the most points after 20 games, featuring some esteemed coaches that have graced the local game.
2022/23 Downs (52pts from 20 games) - Mngqithi & Mokwena + Mokwena (MD11-20)
1996/97 Manning Rangers (48pts) - Gordon Igesund
2014/15 Kaizer Chiefs (47pts) - Stuart Baxter
2021/22 Sundowns (47pts) - Mngqithi & Mokwena
1999/00 Sundowns (46pts) - Paul Dolezar (MD3 - 20)
2015/16 Sundowns (46pts) - Pitso Mosimane
2020/21 Sundowns (46pts) - Mngqithi & Mokwena
2023/24 Sundowns (46pts from 18) - Mokwena
2003/04 Kaizer Chiefs (45pts) - Ted Dumitru
2019/20 Kaizer Chiefs (45pts) - Ernst Middendorp*
2010/11 Orlando Pirates (44pts) - Ruud Krol
*All of the above sides went on to win the title in that season, except Chiefs in 2019/20. That 45 points is the most by a side that never won the title after 20 games.
The worst teams after 20 games
On the opposite end, we find some of the worst teams in PSL history. The 2023/24 season has been a challenging one for Cape Town Spurs, with questions asked on whether they will be the worst team in PSL top-flight history. However, at the 20-game mark, Spurs are safe from that. In fact, Spurs have overtaken Mother City’s season total of 10 points from the 1999/2000 season, so that answer is now an emphatic NO. Five teams have won 10 or fewer points after 20 games of a season, with all of those five ending up relegated.
These are the worst teams after 20 games, with the coach’s name in italics. Most teams had multiple coaches in these seasons, so we added the name of the coach on Matchday 20, and the start of his stint.
2023/23 Cape Town Spurs 12 points from 20 (TBC)
2014/15 AmaZulu: 12pts (relegated) - Steve Barker (MD12-20)
2015/16 Maritzburg Utd: 12 pts (14th - survived) - Ernst Middendorp (MD13-20)
2000/01 Manning Rangers: 11pts (16th - survived) - Mervyn Hauptflesch (MD9-20)
2001/02 Classic: 10pts (relegated) - Walter Rautman (MD15-20)
1999/00 Mother City: 9pts (relegated) - Shaheed Adonis (MD17-20)
2010/11 Black Aces: 8pts (relegated) - Paul Dolezar (MD13-20)
1996/97 Witbank Aces: 8pts (relegated) - Steve Haupt (all season)
2003/04 Hellenic: 7pts (relegated) - Walter Steenbok (MD17-20)
Coincidentally, Sundowns becoming the first team to reach 50+ points from 20 games last season also meant they became the fastest team to 50 points in PSL history. They can equal that feat in the next two weeks, should they manage to collect 4 or more points in their games v Richards Bay & Cape Town Spurs.
