De Sa – who has a reputation for being able to groom talented youngsters having worked in a similar environment at Bidvest Wits – feels players from Cape Town are often overlooked for the national teams.
"I think players from the Cape get overlooked because they do not get seen often enough," De Sa tells Sowetan.
"I have spoken to the national team coaches and they know where we are and they know what our players are all about.
"They can just watch PSL matches to see the players. Ajax has a reputation of producing so many youngsters."
Players such as Abbubaker Mobara, Travis Graham, Mosa Lebusa and Tashreeq Morris have been consistent performers for the Urban Warriors, while Bantu Mzwakali and Riyaad Norodien have more recently made their talents known in the PSL.
However, De Sa admits it is difficult for Ajax to release players for tournaments like the Cosafa Cup, which does not fall during the FIFA international calendar.
"Our players are not sitting on the bench or playing in the Diski [Challenge], they're first team regulars, so it's difficult to release players," De Sa explains.
"One of the reasons [for not releasing players] is that national teams play when we play. We can't release players who are in the starting lineup [outside of FIFA dates]."
