Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter has confirmed Mbekezeli Mbokazi is facing an extended period on the sidelines after suffering a serious injury in training.
The Bafana Bafana centre-back has missed their opening two Major League Soccer games since the resumption of the league after the 2026 FIFA World Cup; the 3-2 defeat to Inter Miami and 3-1 loss to New York FC.
He’s also been ruled out of the MLS All Stars fixture, this, coming off the back of an impressive show for Bafana Bafana at the global event, taking the momentum gained in his impressive first six months in the MLS.
His form has turned heads globally, and appeared destined for a major transfer bids in the upcoming weeks before the end of the transfer window.
But a thigh injury will now rule him for several weeks, if not months, according to the club’s head coach, speaking to iDiski Times in the post-match press conference on Saturday evening in the Bronx, New York.
“Mbokazi is a miss, we feel we have good centre-backs there [playing] anyway, but Mbokazi is a top centre-back so we have to get used to the new normal, it’s not good, he’s going to be [out] for a while – it’s not good,” he said.
“He took a shot in training, hit the ground a little bit, scuffed the ground and end in tearing his thigh, he won’t be around for a good amount of time.”
Mbokazi’s injury, shortly after his return to Illinois after a break break in South Africa comes as a major blow for the club who are chasing a place in the MLS play-offs and with eight games scheduled in the month of August.