MEXICO CITY -- South Africa fans have come to accept, steadily, if not entirely willingly, that their once proud footballing identity has been put on the back burner during Hugo Broos's five years at the helm.
Mzansi style has not been forgotten, just locked and packed away, for a time, at least; while Shoeshine and Piano, for all its soul and beauty, probably isn't the wisest approach in front of 85,000 expectant Mexico supporters, not at this altitude, not in the World Cup opener, not with these stakes.
As Bafana Bafana warmed up 'Benni in the 18 area' - that Shibobo masterpiece, a homage to Benni McCarthy, reminding us of happier, more electric times - resounded unexpectedly around the Estadio Azteca.
For a brief moment, in these hallowed halls, the majesty of Mexico's footballing past was married with an era in South African football when anything seemed possible.
It was a stark contrast to the team that Broos put out against the tournament hosts, with three ostensibly hard-working, conservative-minded midfielders lined up ahead of a back five.
There was no romantic repeat of the 2010 opener, when workhorses Kagisho Dikgacoi and Yeye Letsholonyane provided a platform for the likes of Teko Modise, Steven Pienaar and, of course, Siphiwe Tshabalala to express themselves.
South Africa still have some rare talents - Relebohile Mofokeng one shining example, though he didn't even play this match - but that isn't what fans have come to recognise from Broos's Bafana which has been organised, controlled, composed, with emphasis on efficiency and obduracy rather than flair and flamboyance.
This isn't a criticism. Broos can rightly be credited for restoring prestige in South African soccer, taking the team back to the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals in 2024 - conceding just three goals in seven matches at the tournament - while returning them to the World Cup for the first time since they were hosts 16 years ago.
Indeed, Bafana hadn't successfully qualified for a World Cup since 2002 before this campaign, as Broos oversaw their return to the big time.
Amidst this undeniable progress - South Africa won just won AFCON game between 2004 and 2019 - Broos's more conservative, well-drilled style has gradually been accepted and understood by supporters, even if we miss Msanzi's spontaneity and joy at expression sometimes.
It was a formula that was supposed to make them competitive at this World Cup and - in a fairly balanced group containing Mexico, Czechia and South Korea - give them a decent chance of reaching the knockouts for the first time in their history.
Yet the evidence of the Mexico game, despite Broos's claims to the contrary, suggested that Bafana are falling short of the watertight outfit they had once become under the Belgian coach.
Mexico were clearly enjoying themselves at times on Thursday, registering 16 shots during the course of the match - compared to South Africa's three - having over 60 percent of the possession and forcing several fine saves from Ronwen Williams.
They hit the woodwork in the first half through Julián Quiñones - who had opened the scoring in the ninth minute - and on another day, they wouldn't have waited until the 67th minute before adding their second to take the clash beyond Bafana.
There are caveats of course; South Africa were playing with 10 men for almost all of the second half following Sphephelo Sithole's 50th-minute dismissal, while Themba Zwane's late (and dubious) red ultimately killed off any threat they might have mustered.
Broos himself seemed unconcerned by Mexico's clear dominance during the bout, instead praising his team for what he saw as an impressive defensive display.
"I don't think there was a drop in standard from my players," he told ESPN, "just that this level is much higher than any level [my team have played before. We're playing in the World Cup, against a good team.
"We played against a good team but we saw that Mexico were desperate at times, they didn't know what to do with the ball, our defensive organisation was perfect.
"I'm sure that if we play the same game, but we're better offensively, we'll have a better result also."
The underlying numbers don't entirely bear out Broos's observations, with the first goal coming directly from a defensive error - as Sithole was caught in possession - gifting Mexico an opener to buoy the crowd and settle any underlying nerves.
South African players miss-controlled the ball or lost possession following a touch on eleven occasions during the match, while they were dispossessed by an opponent on six occasions, largely often when Sithole or Mbekezeli Mbokazi was caught dwelling on the ball.
Khuliso Mudau and Nkosinathi Sibisi were guilty of poor positioning at key moments of the match, the kind of instances on which the contest hinged, while even Teboho Mokoena, typically so smart in possession, appeared to struggle with the (relative) intensity of the Mexico midfield.
Perhaps it's too harsh to say that Bafana were architects of their own downfall, but certainly there were defensive jitters, uncertainties at the back, and even a lack of intensity which hasn't been typical of Bafana under Broos.
"I accept the first 15 minutes Mexico were pressuring us," he continued, "but after that, there was balance again. Mexico became desperate, they didn't know what to do with the ball.
"Their two centrebacks were waiting with their feet on the ball, they didn't see a solution, that was why we played like we did today.
"I think we managed Mexico's [speed] well, all game," Broos concluded. "In some moments we were better than another moments, but we managed it well."
Perhaps the warning signs were there already for Broos's Bafana, who failed to keep a clean sheet at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, and had a late Oswin Appollis penalty to thank to secure a 3-2 draw with Zimbabwe in Marrakesh following an unconvincing defensive showing.
Where it is easy to agree with the 74-year-old, however, is that South Africa must improve going forward, particularly if the Broos DNA that made them contenders at the 2023 AFCON isn't as evident as it once was.
There was one moment of encouraging interplay between Lyle Foster and Iqraam Rayners, who were both largely invisible, but Mexico largely kept them at arm's length, while Mudau and Aubrey Modiba didn't see enough of the ball to impose themselves going forward.
Appollis was only given 14 minutes, while Mofokeng wasn't seen at all.
Perhaps an indication as to how far away we've come from the purest ideals of Mzansi football, South Africa only completed one successful dribble during the entirety of the match - coming from midfielder Jayden Adams... we didn't even get close to a Tshabalala repeat here.
"I believe and have confidence in my team," Broos concluded, "I know they wanted to show the world what South African players are, how good they are.
"We should have had better offensive play, we should have been more dangerous than today, but we obviously need to improve offensively.
"Our options with the last past, and our running, was not always the best, but this is something to improve in the next days."
With two games to go to salvage their World Cup campaign, Bafana will hope to rediscover that Broos DNA that was so effective at limiting opponents once upon a time, while also remembering, deep within the bowels of the country's footballing identity, that twinkle of magic that made South Africa so irresistible.
