Bafana newbies Makhanya & Cross open up about going to the World Cup

Bafana Bafana newcomers Olwethu Makhanya and Bradley Cross are both thrilled about their inclusion in the final squad for the upcoming World Cup.

The 22-year-old Makhanya, who plies his trade in the US for Major League Soccer side Philadelphia United, and Cross, who’s on the books of local giants Kaizer Chiefs, spoke about being included in the team for the first time.

“It’s a dream come true for me, and it’s a really big honour for me and my family to be part of the squad and to be able to represent the national team,” Makhanya said at a press conference in Sandton on Thursday.

Makhanya, who left Stellenbosch for Philadelphia in July 2023, has been in brilliant form in the US, having initially struggled to adapt to life there.

“When I left for the US, I was very young. I was away from home for the first time, and I was going through some stuff, but it was part of the journey. As you know, I started at the reserve team, and eventually I got the opportunity to play for the first team,” said Makhanya, a tactically gifted left-footed centre-back.

Cross said he’d always dreamed of playing for the senior national team. The 25-year-old Chiefs left-back, who can also operate as a centre-back, worked very hard to convince Bafana coach Hugo Broos that he was worthy of a spot in the senior national team.

“This [being in the Bafana set-up] has definitely been a long-term goal for me,” Cross said. “I’ve made preliminary squads quite a few times, so I just told myself that I needed to work harder and prove to the coach that I am capable of being in the team.”

Makhanya and Cross are expected to feature when Bafana face Nicaragua in a warm-up match at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday (6pm). Bafana will depart for Mexico on Sunday, with their opening Group A fixture against Mexico billed for June 11.

Czechia and South Korea are other SA’s Group A foes at this World Cup to be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.