Dithejane Impact ‘Praised’ Despite Chicago Fire Defeat

Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter has been urged to make more use of Puso Dithejane following their 3-1 defeat to New York Red Bulls.

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Chicago Fire suffered a second consecutive Major League Soccer (MLS) defeat but remains fourth in the Eastern Conference, seven points adrift of leaders Nashville SC.

Berhalter decided to drop Mbekezeli Mbokazi to the bench, with the former Orlando Pirates player going unused throughout the game.

While Mbokazi remained unused, his compatriot Puso Dithejane made just his fifth league appearance, but he has been praised for his impact from the substitute's bench, with Berhalter urged to make more use of the 21-year-old, according to Men In Red 97.

The Fire struggled to break through New York's defensive lines with their usual passing prowess and relied on Dithejane and his teammate, Jonathan Bamba, to run at the Red Bulls' defence.

The South African replaced Bamba, who had a goal ruled out for offside, and he was a lively figure for the final 30 minutes of the second half.

The former TS Galaxy man found his way into the box, wiggled past two defenders and had his goalbound effort cleared off the line, which would have reduced the deficit to one goal.

"It isn’t the first time that we’ve seen Dithejane successfully dribble past some pretty decent defenders, and it makes me wonder if the Fire would be more effective with him getting more minutes," Men In Red correspondent Tim Hotze explained.

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Hotze added that Dithejane's introduction shifted Chicago's shape and his impact off the bench proved to Berhalter that the Fire could benefit from his energy more often.