Bafana Bafana speedy winger Bongokuhle Hlongwane got his scoring mojo back for Minnesota United in the Major League Soccer [MLS] albeit on a losing note.
After a brief injury spell, Hlongwane struck twice for Minnesota United when they lost 4-3 at the hands of LA Galaxy on Thursday morning.
He had last scored on 9 August when Minnesota United drew 2-2 with Toluca before winning on penalties in the Leagues Cup.
However, in this one, LA Galaxy won courtesy of a Billy Sharp hat trick and a goal by Diego Fagundez.
They took the 1-0 lead through Sharp’s first goal, in the 16th minute but Teemu Pukki equalized for Minnesota United three minutes later.
HOW THE SPEEDY ATTACKER BONGOKUHLE HLONGWANE PERFORMED
The speedy winger Bongokuhle Hlongwane then gave Minnesota United a 2-1 lead on the 41-minute mark when he scored from a Hassani Dotson assist.
He made it a two-goal lead at halftime, benefitting from a Pukki assist in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Minnesota crumbled like a deck of cards in the second half when LA Galaxy turned on the heat to win.
According to Transfermarkt, Hlongwane has now contributed 17 goals and provided three assists in all competitions in 2023.
The competitions include the US Open Cup and the Leagues Cup. In the league, Hlongwane has managed eight goals. He was named the Minnesota United Man of the Match although they lost.
The speedy winger Bongokuhle Hlongwane has been a marvel in Major League Soccer since he joined in January 2022. He joined the US club from Maritzburg United.
He was overlooked when Bafana Bafana played two friendlies against Namibia and the DR Congo.
The speedy winger Bongokuhle Hlongwane is hoping to score more goals and claw back into Hugo Broos‘ team.
Bafana will soon plunge into the CHAN qualifiers as well as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which start in November.
They were drawn in a tough group along with Nigeria, Benin, Rwanda Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
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