Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter has disclosed that his club is in regular communication with the technical team of Bafana Bafana over the development of Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Puso Dithejane.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has previously been vocal about his reservations regarding the standard of football in Major League Soccer.
After Mbokazi completed his move from Orlando Pirates to Chicago late last year, Broos publicly questioned the decision, suggesting the switch to the United States was not the ideal step for the young defender’s career.
Those remarks have since reached Berhalter, who addressed the concerns in an interview with SABC Sport.
“I’ve had a number of conversations with Hugo, and I think being in the position myself, I completely understand his perspective and point of view.
“Basically, he wants his players playing at the highest possible level.”
“For them to move from the South African league to the Major League Soccer is a step up in quality and it’s going to help them develop.”
Berhalter argued that the move represents progress for the players, insisting MLS offers a higher competitive standard than the South African league and a platform for further development.
“Our goal is to help both of these players adapt, to get used to a higher level, to add to their skill set and then eventually move them on. For us, our objectives are completely aligned with the South African national team.
“We have a great connection with the South African national team coaching staff, whether that’s technical staff or the performance staff. We’re in continual contact and we see this as a project that we work on together.”
He added that the relationship between Chicago Fire and the Bafana Bafana technical and performance staff remains strong, with ongoing dialogue forming part of what he described as a shared, long-term development project.
