Sundowns finished second on 68 points, just one behind champions Orlando Pirates, and despite lifting the CAF Champions League trophy, Masandawana missed out on domestic honours after dropping crucial points early in the campaign.
The Tshwane giants collected 15 points from a possible 21 in their opening seven league matches, drawing against Chippa United, Kaizer Chiefs and Marumo Gallants.
Speaking on The Pitchside Podcast, Cardoso said the club’s shortage of experienced options at the time forced him to accelerate the promotion of several academy graduates into the first team.
“I think that one of the reasons that didn’t allow us to start the season the way we could have started was exactly because of the fact that we had to immediately put too many youngsters to play in a moment that we needed, because we had lack of numbers in that moment,” said Cardoso.
The Portuguese tactician stressed that introducing young players is one of the most rewarding aspects of coaching but warned that doing so too early can have negative consequences for both the player and the team.
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“Promoting young players is a challenge for a coach, a beautiful one. Bringing a young player to first-team level is a medal as valuable as this one, but the way you do it can throw him in the garbage. You cannot also do that,” he said.
Cardoso pointed to highly rated left-back Thato Sibiya as an example, admitting he may have rushed the youngster into a difficult CAF Champions League fixture away to Al Hilal after a series of impressive performances at development level.
Despite that experience, Cardoso remains convinced that Sibiya has a bright future at the club and highlighted the importance of patience when nurturing talent, while also praising Kutlwano Letlhaku’s development as evidence of the long-term value of investing in youth.