UMbokazi ugeqa amagula ngohambo olusha kwiChicago Fire

ISAHLUKO esisha esabhalwa ngempilo kaMbekezeli "TLB" Mbokazi sesiqalile e-United States njengoba lo mdlali oneminyaka engu-20 eqhubeka nokukhombisa ukuvuthwa ngokomqondo nokungaxhamazeli, okuyizinto ezimenze intandokazi ebholeni laseNingizimu Afrika.

Kwabanye uhambo lukaMbokazi olusuka esigodini saKwaNibela, eHluhluwe, oselufinyelele eChicaco, e-United States, lwenzeke ngokushesha kodwa ngokubona kwalo mdlali wasemuva, konke kwenzeke ngesikhathi esifanele. 

Lo mdlali ozakhele udumo ebholeni lakuleli ngokumelana nabagadli abayingozi, unonyawo pluhle lakwesokunxele. Wadlala emaqenjini ambalwa ngakubo esakhula ngaphambi kokugqama eqenjini leDStv Diski Challenge le-Orlando Pirates ngo-2023.

Udlale kweliyibamba kwiBetway Premiership okokuqala ngoMashi nyakenye kodwa akuthathanga sikhathi ukuthi kucacele noma ngubani ukuthi leli qembu laseSoweto lithole umdlali okhethekile.

Nakuba edlale isikhathi esincane esigabeni esiphezulu sakuleli, akumangazanga ngesikhathi eZimnyama zimemezela ukuthi sezimdayisele iqembu laphesheya ngoDisemba nyakenye. Obekungalindelekile wukuthi lelo qembu kuzoba yiChicago Fire egijima kwiMajor League Soccer (MLS)

Nakuba lokho kuqubule imibono ehlukene kwazise kukhona abebebona efanelwe yiligi ephezulu kuneMLS kodwa uMbokazi akakhathazekile ngekusasa lakhe.

“Ukusuka kwiPirates ngize kwiChicago Fire kungikhombise ukuthi ngiyakhula njengomdlali. Ngiyayibonga iPirates ngokunginika ithuba, iphinde ingikhulule ngiyothuthukisa ikhono lami kwelinye izwe,” kusho uMbokazi.

“Ngiyabonga kubantu baseNingizimu Afrika ngokungeseka, ngibonge nomndeni weChicago Fire ngokungamukela ngezandla ezifudumele, futhi ngiyathembisa ukuthi ngeke ngibaphoxe.”

Njengoba kusebusika e-United States, uMbokazi ubekudinga ukwamukelwa ngemfudumalo. Okunye okwenze washeshe wazizwa esekhaya wukuthi leli qembu lithenge omunye umdlali wakuleli, uPuso Dithejane obegijima kwiTS Galaxy, aqale naye lolu hambo olusha.

“Kona kuyabanda lapha futhi asilijwayele iqhwa kodwa lokho ngeke kusivimbe ekwenzeni umsebenzi esiwubizelwe. Sizoqina, sikhombise iqembu ukuthi elikubonile kithina phambilini kuyiqiniso,” uqhube kanje uMbokazi.

Ukwenzeka kwezinto ngokushesha empilweni kaMbokazi akugcinanga esigabeni samaqembu kuphela kodwa kwenzeke nakwawesizwe njengoba esheshe walishiya elika-Under-20, wathathwa kwelikhulu, iBafana Bafana, adlale kulona kwi-Africa Cup of Nations ngoDisemba nyakenye kuya kuJanuwari nonyaka.

Kwenzeka lokhu nje, kusanokuvungama mayelana nesinqumo sakhe sokuyodlala kwiligi yase-United States kodwa akakuvumelanga lokho ukuthi kumphazamise emidlalweni ayidlale kwi-Afcon, lapho ephinde waba ngomunye wabadlali abagqamile eqenjini lakuleli.

“Kwakunzima ngenxa yezinkulumo ezazikhona ezweni lami, abantu benemibono ehlukene, kodwa ngakhetha ukuqina njengomdlali osemncane. Iminyaka iyangivumela ukuthi ngizame izinto ezintsha, ngizihlole kwenye iligi,” uqhube kanje uMbokazi.

Omunye wabebenemibono ngokusayina kukaMbokazi kwiFire, ngumqeqeshi weBafana, uHugo Broos, olibeke ngembaba elokuthi ukholwa wukuthi lo mdlali ufanelwe wukudlala kumaligi aphezulu e-Europe.

Umqeqeshi weFire uGregg Berhalter, uthe isikhathi uMbokazi azosichitha kuleli qembu basibona njengesibalulekile ekukhuleni kwakhe.

“Inhloso yethu bekuwukuqinisa iqembu lethu futhi uMbokazi simbona njengomdlali ozofika nokusha. Into esichazile yindlela adlala ngayo, ukuba ngumholi nokudlalela iqembu lesizwe elikhulu esemncane,” kusho uBerhalter, oseke waqeqesha iqembu lesizwe lase-United States.

“Sengike ngadlana indlebe noHugo. Ngiyayiqonda indlela abuka ngayo izinto. Ufuna abadlali bakhe badlale ezingeni eliphezulu kodwa kukhona izitebhisi okufanele badlule kuzona. Ukusuka kwiligi yaseNingizimu Afrika uzodlala kwiMLS kusho ukuthi umdlali uyakhuphuka futhi sizimisele ukuthi sibathuthukise bobabili la badlali esibathathile.”

Ngesizini ka-2025 iFire iqede endaweni yesikhombisa kwi-log yeMLS ye-Eastern Conference ngamaphuzu angu-53 emidlalweni engu-34. Ingenile kumaMLS Cup Playoffs okokuqala kusukela ngo-2017 kodwa yasheshe yakhishwa yiqembu elidlalelwa ngu-Olwethu Makhanya, iPhiladelphia Union.

Leli qembu elaba ngompetha beMLS ngo-1998, lizovula isizini ka-2026 ngokubhekana neHouston Dynamo ekuhambeni ngoFebhuwari 22.

Ophethe izindaba zikaMbokazi, uBasia Michaels weQT Sports, usazishaya isifuba ngokuthi isinqumo sokuthi ayodlala kwiFire sithathwe ngesikhathi esifanele, futhi lokho akusho ukuthi lo mdlali usefike ekugcineni kwiMLS.

“Okwami bekuwukuqinisekisa ukuthi iqembu lizomnakekela ngokuphelele. Akuthathanga sikhathi ukuthi avume ukujoyina iFire. Okuthathe isikhashana wukuthola imvume yePirates kodwa siyambonga uMpumi (Khoza) ngokumvumela uMbokazi ukuthi aqhubeke nokufeza amaphupho akhe,” ubeke kanje uMichaels ohlelweni iBehind The Boot kwiYouTube.

“Kwesinye isikhathi abantu bayathanda ukuphawula kodwa bangacabangi ukuthi kukhulunywa ngomuntu nethuba lokushintsha impilo yakhe neyomndeni wakhe ngendlela emangalisayo. Yilokho okumqoka kimina, hhayi ukulalela imibono yezigidi zabantu."

E-Orlando, abadlali beZimnyama basamthatha njengomunye wabo uMbokazi futhi bamfisela okuhle kodwa phesheya. 

“Akaqhubeke nokuba uyena. Unekhono elimangalisayo futhi kusekude ukuthi kube nomunye umdlali ofana naye. Sonke siyameseka futhi sithandazela ukuthi alibambe ngezandla zombili leli thuba, asize umndeni wakhe,” kusho isitobha se-Orlando Pirates esimnkantshubomvu, uTapelo Xoki.

UMbokazi usabambelele kulokho okusamsebenzele kuze kube manje, okuwukuthi yonke into yenzeka ngesikhathi sayo. Okwakhe wukuthi ahlezi elungele ukuthatha igxathu elilandelayo.

“Konke kwenzeka ngesikhathi esifanele. Uma ngenza kahle lapha ngiyethemba ukuthi uma isikhathi sesifanele ngizowathola amathuba okuya lapho abantu abaningi abakholwa wukuthi ngizofinyelela khona,” uqhube kanje uMbokazi.

“Okwamanje ngisazozinikela ngokuphelele kuleli qembu ukuze leso sikhathi singifice sengingumdlali ongcono," kuphetha uMbokazi.