South African international defender Janine van Wyk is ready to lead her side against Sweden in a high-profile international friendly at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday, bringing with her the knowledge acquired after a year with Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League.
Van Wyk was the first South African to compete in the world's most competitive women's league, a steep learning curve, and will return to Dash in 2018 under coach and mentor Vera Pauw, who she previously worked with at Banyana Banyana.
But before that is a critical clash against Sweden as South Africa build towards the 2018 African Women's Champions in Ghana in November, where they will hope to finish in the top three and book a first ever place at the FIFA Women's World Cup that will be staged in France next year.
Van Wyk says there is much to be gained for the side, whatever the result on Sunday.
"It's great to play such a strong opponent so early in the year," Van Wyk tells KweséESPN. "Coming from a break in the December holidays, playing such a strong opponent that are ranked number 10 in the world will be good for us.
"Hopefully on Sunday we can execute what we have been preparing in the training sessions and with everybody coming out to watch, I know there has been quite a big thing being made about Banyana playing in Cape Town for the first time, we can put on a good display.
"Hopefully we get a good result out of it. That would be a big boost for the team and for what we are trying to achieve this year."
This will be the third time South Africa have clashed with Sweden having also played them in the last two Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016, losing 4-1 and then 1-0.
"We have played Sweden twice in the Olympics in London and Rio, so we know what kind of calibre they have.
"We have watched some videos of them, it is just preparation of whatever is laying ahead throughout the year," Van Wyk says.
"We played France this time last year and lost 2-0, but this time around we are a little bit more prepared.
"We know what Sweden are about. We'll go out and give our best and grasp what we can from this game."
Van Wyk says her time in the United States was one of growth and development as a player, and she is ready to pass on that knowledge she has gained to her Banyana teammates.
"I have improved a lot as a player and playing competitive games, week in, week out and training at that level of intensity every single day, that has really helped me as an individual," she says.
"I have tried to bring that back to the squad here and share what I have learnt, but obviously it also adds quite a bit of pressure on me because everybody expects way more than they used to from me.
"But it is a good challenge for me, I love challenges and I am just trying to uplift the teammates around to me.
"They always look at me as the leader of the team, help guide them on the field especially. They look ready, they carry themselves as professionals, they have ambitions to get to that stage."
Van Wyk says she is convinced that given the opportunities, a lot more South Africans have the ability to play in the United States as well.
"I have no doubt that they have the talent to get there, it is just that they are not being looked at enough, but by playing friendlies against top-class teams, that can change. That's how I got scouted, by playing against the USA."
Van Wyk will be joined at Dash by Dutch coach Pauw, who led South Africa at the Olympics in 2016. She is excited to be reunited with someone she views as a mentor.
"I am so excited to work with Vera again, she is such a top-quality coach and a great mentor of mine. We still communicated a lot, even when she left Banyana, and she has helped me a lot throughout my career.
"I am just happy that I will be working with her again and getting that level of coaching on a daily basis, when she was here we only got to work with her for a couple of weeks [at a time].
"So I know when I come back [to South Africa] I will have a lot more experience and knowledge behind me that hopefully I can share with South African football."
Van Wyk also has praise for Desiree Ellis, who succeeded Pauw as national team coach, but only on an interim basis. She is hopeful she will be officially appointed head coach soon.
"She is doing really well, learning as she is going. She worked alongside Vera for two years and obviously coach Des and myself have a good relationship. We try and help others around us.
"She is trying her best to do well with the team, her training sessions are good and she always wants to get the best out of the players. Hopefully she can continue and be appointed head coach soon."