Major League Soccer (MLS) is pretty obsessed with South Africa's players in the United States's league, judging by the excited reaction to Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Ulwethu Makhanya's selections to the national team.
The youngsters from Chicago Fire FC and Philadelphia Union respectively were named in Hugo Broos' Bafana squad for the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday night, and clip reels from their clubs and league flowed in.
Someone may want to give the American commentators a lesson or two on how to say Mbokazi before June 11, though, as he's now becoming known as 'Embowazi'. Say it together now: MMMM Bo KA Zi! Ma Khunn YA!
What the pundits are getting right, though, is praising the skill the pair bring to the league, with TLB being especially impactful for The Men in Red this season.
It must be said that Makhanya's inclusion was a bit of a surprise for many, given the Union's dire results this season. On the same night as the squad was announced, the club sacked South African head coach Bradley Carnell, so a mixed bag for Mzansi fans in Philly on the night.
Still, the lanky defender who arrived from Stellenbosch is a popular figure with his teammates, and did enough to be named to the Bafana team.
