South African star Olwethu Makhanya has been acknowledged by Major League Soccer for his match-winning performance earlier this week.
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In the early hours of Thursday morning, the central defender scored his first goal in the American top flight when he netted a 50th-minute winner in Philadelphia Union’s 2-1 victory over Montreal FC.
The 21-year-old joined the MLS franchise from Stellenbosch FC in 2023. Since then, the Durban native has been honing his craft in the MLS Next Pro League, the reserve division of American football.
However, this season saw a turning point for Makhanya, with fellow South African Bradley Carnell taking over as head coach. It was under the former Orlando Pirates assistant manager that Makhanya made his MLS debut.
Of the 22 matches Makhanya has been available for so far this season, he has featured in 20—starting 15 of them. His growing influence in the team was underlined this week when he scored the decisive goal that helped Union maintain their top spot in the Eastern Conference.
His performances have not gone unnoticed. The towering defender was named in the MLS Team of the Week, joining notable names such as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Emil Forsberg.
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Carnell’s side will now be hoping to carry their regular-season form into the playoffs, as they look to finish first in the conference and crown their efforts with an MLS Cup triumph.
