Bafana Bafana manager Hugo Broos explains why he chose Makhanya and Cross for the World Cup

Philadelphia Union centre back Makhanya and Kaizer Chiefs left back Cross have yet to earn a cap for the national team, but they could feature on the grandest stage of all after Broos included them in his 26 man squad announced on Thursday evening.

He stated that despite their lack of international experience, they are players he has been tracking for a considerable period and believes they can contribute meaningfully to the squad.

“We keep tabs on all the players and it is a substantial effort,” Broos remarked. “Every Monday, assistant coach Helman Mkhalele and I are in the office, and we review our list – who played, how well they performed, and so on. We monitor them closely.

“We had already considered calling up Olwethu in March for the match against Panama, but for various reasons he was unavailable. We continued to follow his progress, so we are well aware of how our players are performing for their clubs.”

Many observers have been calling for Makhanya’s inclusion for some time, given his strong form in Major League Soccer.

“Makhanya’s performances in America are of a very high standard. He plays every minute for his team. He is a solid defender, tall, and physically strong – all vital attributes in modern football.”

Broos explained that Bradley Cross’s selection was motivated both by his improvement at club level and the need for cover at left back, with Aubrey Modiba missing the second leg of the CAF Champions League final on Sunday as Mamelodi Sundowns secured the trophy.

“Bradley was with us, I believe, two years ago or thereabouts – it was 2023,” Broos said. “He has struggled a bit with the standard at Chiefs in recent seasons, but this year things have improved for them.

“We also have a minor concern regarding Modiba, so I needed to address that. Normally there should be no issue with Modiba, but if a problem does arise, we only had Samukelo Kabini on the left side of defence.

“That was one of the reasons we brought Bradley along – not the only one, but one of them.”

The duo could make their international debuts when Bafana Bafana face a young Nicaragua side in Orlando on Friday evening, before moving to their Mexican base for the tournament in Pachuca.

Bafana will meet co hosts Mexico in the tournament opener on June 11, followed by further Group A encounters against the Czech Republic in Atlanta on June 18 and South Korea in Monterrey on June 24.