Lyle Foster frozen out: Have Bafana Bafana moved on under Pitso Mosimane?

Lyle Foster’s uncertain position with Bafana Bafana is becoming one of the more intriguing questions surrounding Pitso Mosimane’s promising start as South Africa coach.

The striker has gone through significant change in recent months, including leaving Burnley and securing a loan move to Houston Dynamo, but his absence from Mosimane’s plans has raised questions about whether the national team is beginning to move beyond him.

Bafana have won all three matches since Mosimane took charge, giving the coach little reason to disrupt a formula that is producing results. South Africa have beaten Eritrea and Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers before following those victories with a 1-0 friendly win over Egypt in Cairo.

The three-match winning run has also allowed Mosimane to experiment with his squad and assess different attacking combinations.

Brookleyn Poggenpoel, Puso Dithejane, Luther Singh and Tashreeq Matthews were among the players given opportunities against Egypt, underlining the coach’s willingness to look beyond established names as he builds his team.

Foster, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen.

The 25-year-old made his Houston Dynamo debut last weekend after joining the Major League Soccer club on loan from Burnley, but that fresh chapter in his career has not yet translated into a return to the Bafana setup.

That does not necessarily mean Mosimane has closed the door on Foster.

However, the early signs suggest the striker may have to work his way back into the coach’s thinking rather than expect an automatic recall based on his previous status with the national team.

Appollis strengthens his case

While Foster watches from the outside, Oswin Appollis continues to strengthen his position as one of South Africa’s most important attacking players.

The Orlando Pirates winger was instrumental in Bafana’s 5-0 demolition of Eritrea on Wednesday, registering three assists in an outstanding individual display.

Appollis has quickly established himself as a reliable source of creativity for the national team, and his latest performance only reinforces that reputation.

Remarkably, the Pirates star is also the last South African player to record three assists in a single international match.

He achieved the feat against Congo in 2024 before repeating the accomplishment against Eritrea, giving Mosimane another compelling reason to keep building his attack around the winger.

With Appollis thriving and other attacking players being given opportunities, Foster faces increasing competition for a place in the squad.

Baartman injury raises Chiefs concern

Elsewhere, Kaizer Chiefs could be sweating over the fitness of Luke Baartman after the young attacker suffered an injury while representing South Africa’s U23 side.

Baartman was forced off with a thigh problem during the U23s’ meeting with Algeria, putting his availability for Chiefs’ next Betway Premiership fixture in doubt.

The 20-year-old has been a regular presence for the Soweto giants this season and has featured in all seven of their league matches.

His consistency has made him an important option for Chiefs, making the timing of the injury particularly concerning as the club prepares for its next league assignment.

Further assessment will determine the severity of the problem and whether Baartman can recover in time.

For Mosimane, however, the bigger storyline remains Foster.

The striker’s absence comes at a time when Bafana are winning, experimenting and discovering new attacking options. Unless Foster can force his way back into the conversation at Houston Dynamo, Mosimane may continue to look elsewhere.