Mbokazi was a sensation at the 2026 World Cup and has won rave reviews following his move to Major League Soccer, where he has impressed for Chicago Fire.
But a serious thigh injury looks to have sidelined him for around two months at least, a significant blow for the player on many fronts.
“It’s not good,” Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said on Saturday. “He’s going to be out a while. He took a shot in training, hit the ground a little bit, scuffed the ground, and ended up tearing his thigh.
“And it’s serious. He won’t be back for a good amount of time. It is a miss. We feel like we have good centre-backs there anyway, but because he’s a top centre-back, we’re going to be missing him for a while. So we’ve got to get used to the new normal.”
That is bad news for whoever will be in charge of Bafana for the September qualifiers, but also for Mbokazi, who had received plenty of transfer interest from Europe following his World Cup heroics. That may all be on ice now.
He has also been ruled out of the MLS All-Star Game, where he received more fan votes than any other player, including Lionel Messi, to be part of the team, which would have seen him line up alongside the Argentine.
Berhalter was unsure whether the injury meant Fire would enter the transfer market to make up for his long-term absence.
“We don’t have an answer for it right now. It is something that we’re considering. We have a busy schedule. We need everyone on deck. It’s something we’re considering for sure.”
Meanwhile, Berhalter also praised South African Puso Dithejane this week after he scored against Inter Miami. The coach has been hugely impressed with the impact of the winger.
“He’s been the star of this new preseason that we’ve had,” Berhalter said. “He scored against Minnesota, he scored against Columbus, and now he scores again against Miami.
“He’s coming on, pushing for minutes. You can see how dangerous he is, and he has a bright future.”
Dithejane admits it was a tough start arriving in Chicago in the dead of winter, but he is now settled in the United States.
“I’m starting to enjoy life here,” Dithejane told MIR97 Media on Thursday. “Firstly, when I arrived here, it was hard for me. I didn’t gel well with the team because of the weather. I’m not used to the winter, but now I’m used to the weather and I’m enjoying it.”