However, the widely travelled coach believes the match provided valuable lessons for his largely revamped squad.
Kenya took the lead in the 12th minute after Gor Mahia defender Frank Odhiambo tapped in a loose ball, however, Thabo Makhele restored parity with 20 minutes to go, to deny Harambee Stars the win, with the two sides last meaning in 1993 with Kenya winning 3-0.
The South African tactician explained that the team needed time to gel, especially with several players making their first appearances for the national team.
“I think the team needed a match to get going because we have new players coming into the team for the first time,” said McCarthy.
“I am not entirely happy or satisfied with a draw, but that’s football. We had some young and inexperienced players coming into the team, and although they had a good opportunity, we now understand each other much better.”
McCarthy felt Kenya created enough chances to win the match but were ultimately punished for failing to convert their opportunities.
“When you create good chances like we did and don’t score, you have to be careful. We made changes, and then from a free-kick they scored. That’s football,” he noted.
The former Blackburn Rovers striker, however, was encouraged by what he saw from some of the fresh young players and revealed that a number of key players were rested due to fatigue.
McCarthy started Farouk Shikalo between the sticks, supported in defence by Ronney Onyango, Gor Mahia duo Sylvester Onyango and Frank Odhiambo in the heart of defence with Stanley Wilson getting the nod ahead of experienced Eric ‘Marcelo’ Ouma.
In the middle of the park, he started Richard Odada, Clarke Oduror, Mohammed Bajaber, Zech Obiero, Ben Stanley Omondi with Lawrence Okoth starting as goal-poacher in a 4:5:1 formation.
“I am happy with what I saw from some of the players. Some of the regulars are a little exhausted, which is why they were not involved today,” he explained.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s return fixture against Lesotho, McCarthy promised changes to the squad and expects a much-improved performance.
“In the second match we will have a completely different team against them, and hopefully we can do better than we did today. We are looking forward to Sunday and hope to perform well because we still have plenty to improve on,” he concluded.
Kenya will now shift focus to the rematch, as McCarthy remains keen to continue assessing his squad during preparations for upcoming competitive assignments.
