‘I played with big stars’
When Major League Soccer was launched in 1996, the newly formed league in north America looked across at South Africa for signings and “marquee players” for their franchises.
Shaun Bartlett and Doctor Khumalo were snatched up in the wake of Bafana Bafana’s success at the Africa Cup of Nations and unveiled amid much fanfare in the United States as professional soccer was revived.
But in the 25 years since, there has only been a trickle of other South Africans who have made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean, with the Americans no longer looking in the Premier Soccer League – in stark contrast to the steady stream of South Africans who went across in the late 1960s and 70s to play the old North American Soccer League, making it the most favourite destination for locals.
Indeed, over the last five years, only two South Africans have featured in the MLS -- former under-17 international Lindo Mfeka had one game for San Jose Earthquakes in 2017 and Ethen Sampson spent two
