Gregg Berhalter is standing by his new defender. The Chicago Fire boss believes Mbekezeli Mbokazi made the right choice moving to Major League Soccer from South Africa's Orlando Pirates.
South African national team coach Hugo Broos kicked up a storm when he slammed Mbokazi's transfer. He said the move inflated the young player's ego and called Chicago Fire 'not even a Cup team'. Ouch.
But Berhalter sees it differently. The former US national team coach told journalists on Thursday that he understands where Broos is coming from, but MLS is definitely a step up from the Betway Premiership.
MLS Better Than PSL, Says Berhalter
"I've had a number of conversations with Hugo and I completely understand his perspective," Berhalter explained. "He wants his players playing at the highest possible level. When I was coach of the national team, we had the same objectives."
The key difference? Berhalter thinks players need stepping stones. Moving straight from South Africa to Europe's top leagues might be too big a jump for most players.
"For them to move from the South African league to Major League Soccer is a step up in quality and it's going to help them develop," he said. Chicago also signed winger Puso Dithejane from TS Galaxy in January.
For punters keeping an eye on Chicago Fire's season, these signings could be significant. Adding two young South African talents might strengthen their defensive options and attacking width, potentially improving their standing in MLS betting markets.
Working Together Despite Disagreement
Despite the public spat, Berhalter says Chicago Fire maintains close contact with the South African national team staff. "We see this as a project that we work on together," he noted.
Sources told ESPN that Broos got at least one thing wrong. The Belgian claimed Mbokazi wouldn't be a first-team player at Chicago, but that was never true. The 20-year-old centre-back is clearly part of Berhalter's plans.
Things got messier when Broos faced complaints to South Africa's Human Rights Commission. The United Democratic Movement political party accused him of racially coded and sexist language after controversial comments about Mbokazi and agent Basia Michaels.
Broos denied racism and sexism allegations. He apologized for how he said things but stood by his overall message about wanting his players in top European leagues.
