Having made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut against Houston Dynamo in late February, Mbekezeli Mbokazi‘s career at Chicago Fire FC is increasingly gathering steam, with the 20-year-old’s performance against Atlanta United this weekend his standout showing of the season so far.
This was The Fire and South Africa defender Mbokazi’s fourth clean sheet of the seven-game MLS campaign to date, with Gregg Berhalter’s side currently enjoying the second best defensive record in the top flight having conceded just five goals.
The wonderkid has been central to this strong showing at the back, settling well in the Windy City, forming an excellent partnership with Jack Elliott and demonstrating the kind of well-rounded defensive qualities that have people talking of him as one of the most exciting young African centrebacks in the game.
Sunday’s match was even better than we’d seen before, with Mbokazi earning the Man of the Match award — his first in MLS — to cap off an excellent display.
The highlight was his goalmouth clearance in the 16th minute, anticipating superbly when goalkeeper Chris Brady came hopefully for Elías Baez‘s deep cross, flapped at the ball, and allowed Saba Lobjanidze to send a first-time cross back into the box.
Stian Gregersen, rising on the edge of the six-yard box, sent a directed header back towards the Fire goal — left exposed by Brady’s ill-advised foray — only for Mbokazi, immaculately positioned, to clear assuredly with his head.
“As good as a goal from the South African,” exclaimed the Apple TV commentator Evan Weston, while his colleague Dax McCarty went even further.
“That is top-class defending,” the former Fire midfielder added. “That is exactly why you go out and get a stud centreback like [Mbokazi], it’s such good centreback play, covering your goalkeeper when he comes off his line.”
That moment was the highlight in an all-round excellent showing, as Mbokazi made 13 defensive contributions across the match; he registered six clearances, while his five blocked shots was a game-high.
Late in the match, with 15 minutes left on the clock, Mbokazi demonstrated his impressive judgement and timing in the tackle when he slid in to snap the ball away from the advancing Lobjanidze, directing it to a teammate in the process.
His acceleration and sharpness in driving to close the gap to the forward and kill the danger — especially after 75 draining minutes of action 0– was breathtaking, while his brave challenge was the intervention of a player who is increasingly adept at marrying confidence with his burgeoning physical and mental qualities.
It was a moment that demonstrated why Mbokazi can be trusted in those duels, those key defensive moments, that he has the discipline and the judgement to hold his own and snuff out a late threat to lock down all three points. He was duly named in the MLS Squad of the Week.
Mbokazi was a popular figure back home in South Africa as he made his way from the highways and byways of Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal to the feted fields of Orlando Stadium, where his physical credentials, maturity and composure made him a near-instant fan favourite with domestic giants Orlando Pirates.
Bucs supporters, as well as Bafana Bafana fans, were quick to follow their one-time hero to Chicago Fire… on social media if not in person!
Mzansi followers regularly pop up on the club’s handles to complain about the relative lack of exposure for the Bafana Bafana international, despite an intriguing localisation approach by the Men in Red who posted in isiZulu on their platforms after the player was unveiled.
Nicknamed TLB, in reference to a tractor-loader-backhoe, due to his industrial playing style, power and versatility, Mbokazi has all the makings of a genuine cult hero, and while Fire supporters begin to fall for their new man, for fans back home, the love hasn’t ended after he crossed the Atlantic.
This weekend, supporters were touched to see the centreback receiving his Man of the Match award while draped in the South Africa flag, bringing a touch of the Rainbow Nation to Chi-town.
His performance came on the back of a fine showing – and a clean sheet – in the 1-0 win over Nashville SC, earning praise from Berhalter after the player’s quick turnaround after the international window with Bafana.
“Mbo is coming from a 21-hour flight and he’s playing 90 minutes,” the former USMNT international began. “You can’t write this.”
Last month, Berhalter had struck a different tone with his young charge, urging him to build on his promising early performances while keeping his feet on the ground.
It’s a far cry from the last time a head coach’s comments about the player made headlines. Back in December, on the eve of the Africa Cup of Nations, Bafana head coach Hugo Broos launched a stern public rebuke of Mbokazi in which he criticised the youngster for arriving late to the AFCON camp, as well as his transfer to The Fire.
While Broos apologised for some of the comments, for which he was reported to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for alleged racism and sexism, he doubled down on his insistence that Major League Soccer wasn’t the right next move for the youngster.
“It would be a waste if Mbokazi didn’t pursue the career that he is destined [to] due to lack of proper guidance as an inexperienced, young, humble, talented player,” he said at the time.
The Belgian coach had previously expressed concerns about the country’s talent pipeline, while a relative lack of depth in the heart of South Africa’s defence will surely have influenced his severe appraisal of Mbokazi’s career move.
However, Broos can rest easy – for now at least.
Mbokazi still has time on his side to test his hand in one of Europe’s major leagues, and he’ll learn a lot from his time in the States, where demands — greater transitional play, athleticism — are different from the PSL.
In recent years, the complexion of MLS recruitment has changed, with the league increasingly being seen as a destination for up-and-coming African talent, rather than purely as a last stop for veterans before retirement.
The likes of Kévin Denkey, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Joseph Paintsil are all either in their peak or approaching their peak, and opting to develop their careers in the MLS when surely options could have awaited them in Europe.
Broos’s criticism fails to take this into account, while also ignoring the examples of players who refined their game in Major League Soccer before crossing to Europe.
In recent years, Mamadou Fall signed for Barcelona following a stint in the States with Los Angeles FC, while Nigeria‘s Chidozie Awaziem joined Nantes last year after featuring for FC Cincinnati and Colorado Rapids.
The upcoming World Cup, where Mbokazi will be starting for the national side, should afford him a valuable window to demonstrate his qualities to supporters and recruiters who may not have seen him in action in his nascent career to date.
