The former Kaizer Chiefs player marked his first professional goal in spectacular fashion during Matchday 34, capturing an impressive 57.7% of the fan vote to secure the Goal of the Matchday honour.

In a thrilling encounter, St. Louis City overcame a one-goal deficit to secure a 2-1 victory on the road against Minnesota United.

The match remained scoreless until Minnesota United broke the deadlock in the 46th minute, courtesy of Teemu Pukki’s successful penalty kick.

However, Joao Klauss, who entered the game as a substitute, equalized for St. Louis City by heading in a well-placed cross from Jake Nerwinski.

The game’s decisive moment came in the 73rd minute when Blom struck the game-winning goal, propelling St. Louis City to their sixth away win of the season.

The opening half remained goalless, but the game ignited in the 46th minute when Teemu Pukki converted a penalty kick to give Minnesota the lead.

However, St Louis City’s substitute forward, Joao Klauss, swiftly responded, heading in a cross from Jake Nerwinski to level the score.

The decisive moment arrived in the 73rd minute when Njabulo Blom, in a spectacular fashion, unleashed a powerful strike that clinched the victory for City SC.

This remarkable goal marked Blom’s first-ever in his professional career, making him the 17th different player for St Louis City to find the net this season in all competitions.

With this significant win, St Louis City equalled Los Angeles FC’s record of 16 victories, the most by an expansion team in their inaugural MLS season.

Klauss continued to shine, tallying three goals in the last four matches and contributing a total of 12 goals and assists this season (8 goals, 4 assists).

Meanwhile, Blom’s memorable goal not only opened his account for St Louis City but also marked the start of his professional scoring journey.

The goal by Blom made him the 16th unique goal scorer for St Louis City this season, matching Charlotte FC for the highest such total by an expansion team in their inaugural season.

City SC extended their unbeaten streak to four consecutive games, demonstrating their growing strength in the league.

Jake Nerwinski and Aziel Jackson also played crucial roles, with Nerwinski securing his second assist of the season, while Jackson notched his fourth assist, contributing to a total of five goal involvements (1 goal, 4 assists).

Remarkably, CITY SC recorded their fourth come-from-behind victory of the season, joining the ranks of Minnesota United FC in 2017 and LAFC in 2018 for the most such victories by an expansion team in MLS history (excluding the shootout era).

Furthermore, CITY SC has now achieved six road victories, trailing only behind LAFC’s seven, solidifying their position as one of the most successful expansion teams in terms of away wins in MLS history.

Bakayev made his professional debut for Spartak Moscow in September 2015 in a Russian Cup game against FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod.

In August 2018, he joined FC Arsenal Tula on loan for the 2018–19 season. Upon his return from loan, he scored his first two goals for Spartak in an away Europa League qualifier against FC Thun.

Three days later, he scored his first two Russian Premier League goals for Spartak in a 3–1 victory over FC Akhmat Grozny.

The 27-year-old joined Al Wahda from FC Zenit on a one-season loan deal.

“We welcome Tahnoon Alzaab return to the team after the injury,” says Mosimane. “He is medically ready, but he is not fully it and technically ready to play [against Hatta on Sunday].

“As for Bakiyev, he is a good player who is good at playing in several positions, and he will be a great player us.”

Al-Wahda will host Hatta on Sunday in the UAE Pro League, and Mosimane is cautious about the upcoming match

Despite Hatta’s poor performance with two losses in as many matches, Mosimane believes the match won’t be easy due to Hatta’s determination to improve their standing.

“The match against Hatta will not be without difficulties, because they will be seeking to improve their standing in the league,” said Mosimane. “We must find solutions for the various scenarios.”

This recognition marks his fifth appearance in the Team of the Matchday in the 2023 season, showcasing his consistent excellence on the field.

The former Maritzburg United player scored a total of eight goals in MLS play and 17 goals across all competitions during the 2023 season. This indicates his effectiveness in front of the goal.

His improved finishing abilities have caught the attention of the league, making him one of Major League Soccer’s most exciting attacking players this season.

In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, Hlongwane is noted for his tireless work rate and willingness to help in defence. This well-rounded approach makes him a valuable asset to the team.

With 11 total goal contributions in MLS play, Hlongwane is leading the team in goals scored and is second in assists with three.

He has played over 2,000 minutes for Minnesota United this season, starting in 25 matches and registering an impressive 75 scoring attempts.

Hlongwane’s performance and development in the 2023 season appear to have made him a key player for Minnesota United, and his future in Major League Soccer looks promising.

Despite leading 3-1 at halftime, Minnesota United ended up losing 4-3 in a thrilling encounter.

The game got off to an exciting start with a chaotic sequence in the Loons’ penalty area in the third minute, setting the tone for a wild first half.

Both teams were aggressive in the first half, resulting in a flurry of goals. The home side took the lead, through Billy Sharp but Minnesota United quickly responded, levelling the game at 1-1 with a goal from former Norwich City forward, Teemu Pukki.

The match continued to be open and intense with plenty of counterattacks and shots on goal.

With four minutes remaining before the interval, Hlongwane made it 2-1 and completed his brace three minutes later to give his team a 3-1 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, the LA Galaxy regrouped and started creating more chances. Sharp scored two more goals for LA Galaxy, completing his hat trick, and levelling the score at 3-3.

Minnesota United’s Ethan Bristow received a second yellow card in the 74th minute, leaving his team with 10 players on the field and giving LA Galaxy an advantage.

Riqui Puig set up the play that led to Diego Fagundez scoring the go-ahead goal for LA Galaxy in the 82nd minute, securing their comeback victory.

Kgatlana’s winning goal in the comeback victory was certainly a highlight, and it marked her first goal since returning from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she had a successful run with the South African national team.

In that game against Portland Thorns, the Banyana Banyana forward was a standout player, taking eight shots with three on target and making 12 touches in Portland Thorn’s penalty area.

She also played a key role in winning possession back for Racing Louisville in the opponent’s defensive third, which helped generate scoring opportunities for her team.

The 27-year-old made her Racing debut earlier in the year after recovering from an Achilles injury sustained at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Despite the setback, she has managed to make an impact on the field.

Racing Louisville and Kgatlana have another important match coming up in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup semifinals against OL Reign at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Sithole’s Portuguese club C.D Tondela confirmed the news.

“Capped on five occasions by the South Africans, the Auriverde midfielder is in coach Hugo Broos squad list for the matches against Namibia, on September 9th, and RC Congo, on September 12th, with both games to be played at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.”

The 24-year-old was initially in the 36-men squad before he was dropped.

The Banyana Banyana forward returned to the starting line-up for her American National Women’s Soccer League side since returning from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Morgan Weaver scored opening goal inside six minutes for Portland Thords before Abby Erceg tied the game in the 60th minute and Kgatlana scoring winner four minutes in later to deliver Racing Louisville’s biggest regular-season win in club history.

It was the first time in the club’s three-year history – and six games – that Racing beat Portland, and the first time the Louisvillians have scored multiple goals against the Thorns, the reigning NWSL champions and historically the league’s most successful team.

That Racing did so without several key players out because of injuries or suspension just added to the emotional evening in the Derby City.

“Everyone is desperate for points – the table is so close – so for the girls to show up the way they did today was unbelievable,” said Erceg, who wore the captain’s arm band in place of the injured Jaelin Howell.

“It was at the right time, a huge performance. I haven’t seen us play with that much grit and heart. You can tell that the girls really want it.

“I said to them before we went out, ‘Our season is on the line. How many games do you want to play? It’s up to us.’ They came out and they showed up.”

With the win, Racing moved into sixth place, the last spot in the NWSL playoff picture, ahead of Sunday’s matches elsewhere in the league.

Foster joined the English Championship side during the January transfer window from Belgium side, KVC Westerlo. He came off the bench in five league matches and started three FA Cup games without scoring.

“Clubs will only rate a striker if he is scoring goals and he needs score to settle down because he has only been there for a month and half,” Davids tells Touchline News.

“He needs to get the first goal under his belt because that is how they rate strikers and I have no doubt that they will buy more strikers when they get promoted to the Premier League.

“The English Championship is different to other league because there’s a lot of competition week-in and week-out. If he does what he is capable of doing which is scoring goas then he won’t have a problem.”

Burnley are currently top of the Championship table and have good chances of getting promoted. Davids believes Vincent Kompany might sign new players to improve his team next season.

“If a team sign new players, it’s normal, there will always be pressure,” Davids adds. “If you earn that type of money there will always be pressure and that is normal. Vincent Kompany will not go to the Premier League with the same team [that gets promoted], he is going to try to get better players to make his team better.

“Look at the big teams in the Premier League, they always buy better players to put other players on their toes. Look at Mamelodi Sundowns at home, they always buy better players.

“But I have no doubt that Lyle succeed and score goals. Look at the Manchester United striker they just signed. Wout Weghorst, he is also struggling but he is always in the team and he is under pressure as well.”

Lyle must also get used to the Championship and how other teams play. Belgium where Lyle was playing, there is not a lot of media [attention], it’s a calm and small club. It’s a nice and small city, they don’t have media like they do in England.”

By Zola Doda

The 22-year-old forward became Vincent Kompany’s third January transfer window signing when he joined from Belgian side K.V.C. Westerlo.

“If feels good to be here, I’m grateful and I can’t wait to get started,” the player said.

“I was a bit surprised when I was told about the interest from Burnley, I was on holiday at the time and my agent rang me up and told me there was an interest from Burnley.

From that moment my heart and head were set on joining the club and I counted down the days to be here.

The couple of days leading up to the transfer were up and down – I was asking myself when is the deal happening and whether it’s happening – a lot was going on in my head. I’m happy that it’s finally done and I spent my first here.”

Forster came through the Orlando Pirates development before moving to French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

“I enjoyed my time at Orlando Pirates. From there I went to Monaco, had a small stint in Belgium and Portugal.

In South Africa, English football is a league that we all follow. As a kid growing up it was always a dream to come to England. And when I got a call that Burnley wanted me it felt a bit unreal. It’s a childhood dream come true, I’m so happy to be here and to share my talent where football started.”

At Burnley, Foster has reunited with his Cercle Brugge teammate, Vitinho.

“I’ve played with Vitinho at Cercle Brugge and he is a very good friend of mine – we are close.

I spoke to him before coming here about how things and he told me how great it is and the atmosphere and the spirit around the team. From the moment I got here, I felt very welcome.

I’ve been following and watching a lot of Burnley games recently and I enjoy the style of play. The coach [Vincent Kompany] is a legend and to work with him is an honour.

I grew up watching him and I’ve also played one game against him. Now with him being my coach, I will get to learn and absorb the knowledge.”