‘He’s still getting used to MLS’ – Berhalter on blunder by Mbekezeli Mbokazi

Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter has addressed Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s mistake that proved costly in their 3-2 defeat to FC Cincinnati on Sunday, as the MLS side slipped to a second straight loss.

The match marked another challenging outing for Fire, who had taken an early grip on proceedings after racing into a 2-1 lead inside the opening half hour.

However, momentum shifted in the 31st minute when Mbokazi, making his ninth league appearance, was dispossessed after attempting a pass in his own half.

The interception sparked a quick transition that led to Cincinnati restoring parity, a turning point in a match Chicago eventually lost.

Speaking after the match, Berhalter did not hide his frustration over the defensive lapse that led to the equaliser, stressing the need for better decision-making at the back.

“The reason why I am upset about the first goal is that the right decision is for the back line to drop. If Evander has time on the ball, he’s free, he can make the pass,” he said, as quoted by On Tap Sports.

He added further reflection on the sequence that allowed Cincinnati back into the contest: “We need to drop. But again, the second one in the buildup, maybe [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi could take it a little more – he’s still getting used to some of the build-ups and everything – but again, when I look at this game overall, we had a very strong performance.”

Despite the costly moment, Berhalter maintained a balanced assessment of his team’s display, insisting there were positives to take despite back-to-back defeats.

The Chicago Fire coach emphasised that Mbokazi remains in a development phase and is still adjusting to the demands of MLS build-up play.