Mosimane backs young Dithejane to overcome MLS travel demands

Pitso Mosimane believes Puso Dithejane’s age will help him recover from the long journey between the United States and South Africa as he joins up with Bafana Bafana.

Players travelling from the USA for international fixtures have previously created selection and preparation concerns, with former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos managing them differently from the rest of his squad. The travel sometimes affected their performances.

For a period, Broos stopped selecting players from Major League Soccer, with Bongokuhle Hlongwane among those left out after featuring regularly during the early part of the coach’s tenure.

Dithejane, however, has established himself in the MLS and become an important attacking player for Chicago Fire. His form has ensured that Mbekezeli Mbokazi is not the only Chicago Fire player attracting attention from supporters.

That progress has earned Dithejane a place in the Bafana Bafana squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea at home and Eritrea away, along with the international friendly against Egypt.

Mosimane said the challenge of managing MLS-based players was not unique to South Africa, but acknowledged the limited recovery time available during international windows.

“Any team that has a team from the MLS is facing the same challenge. This is professional football. All you have to do is make sure that you manage his travel from his team. Make sure he travels well and that there are no issues, and also give him time to rest,” Mosimane told the media ahead of the Group D qualifier against Guinea at Orlando Stadium this afternoon.

“But there is not enough time to rest with international games. All you have is three-and-a-half days. It’s part of the game, international football is like that. If you find three full days to train, (then) you’ve done well.”

Mosimane also urged caution over the expectations placed on Dithejane, saying the teenager still needed to prove he deserved his place in the team.

“Puso is good. Also, he is young. The younger you are, the quicker you recovery. That’s a fact. He’s good, he is running, he is all over the place trying to show that he can do something,” he said.

“But we should also manage expectations on him, that he has to understand that he has to earn the space. He has to show, right? It’s not (about) calling players because they are young and trying to show that you are calling young players. They have to play and they have to show that they deserve to be in the team.”

Mosimane added that Dithejane’s age gave him time to adapt to international football.

“If they have age on their side, it’s an advantage. Puso’s got enough time (in future) to gel in. We are just recognising him and that’s more important.”

Dithejane is unlikely to start against Guinea, but could be introduced from the substitutes’ bench.