When Pitso Mosimane returned as Bafana Bafana head coach, sceptics feared that his proximity to South African club football would lead to an erosion of the meritocratic culture Hugo Broos had built, but the 62-year-old's second preliminary squad suggests it has only been enhanced.
Mosimane began his tenure with Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying wins over Guinea and Eritrea and a friendly victory over Egypt. Next up is the AFCON qualifying double-header against Kenya on Nov. 13 & 17.
Mosimane has made several changes from his first preliminary squad, which he announced almost immediately after taking charge at the beginning of September.
Chicago Fire's Mbekezeli Mbokazi has returned from injury, while Aden McCarthy, Botiumelo Radiopane, Nqaba Xulu, Luke le Roux, Thalente Mbatha, Nkosikhona Radebe, Devin Titus and Thakasani Mbanjwa have also received call-ups.
For every one of these call-ups, a layman can deduce a clear possible motive. McCarthy is the most obvious among them -- he has consistently featured at centre-back for Sabah in the UEFA Champions League and performed well at the highest level.
Radiopane and Xulu are in hot scoring form domestically for Orlando Pirates and Richards Bay respectively. Titus has earned his place with a strong start to life at MAS Fes in Morocco. Mbatha is back from injury and le Roux on the books of a new club at Cercle Brugge after struggling for game time at Portsmouth.
Radebe adds a right-back option from an in-form AmaZulu side with Mamelodi Sundowns' Khuliso Mudau still on the mend from injury. Mbanjwa is rewarded for a strong start to the season in goal for Golden Arrows.
Yanela Mbuthuma and Shandre Campbell -- both of whom have experienced dips in form and fortune at club level since the last international break -- are notable absentees.
In cutting two players he had given opportunities to after they had been mostly overlooked by Broos, Mosimane suggested he is willing to operate without fear or favour.
When 'Jingles' was on the verge of being appointed, Broos was quoted as telling Het Nieuwsblad: "You know, South Africa still don't have a coach. The candidate is Pitso Mosimane, a successful South African coach.
"But they know that if he comes in, they'll go five years back in time. Club owners and agents calling coaches to influence the squad selection. I threw all of them out. If one called, I would say bluntly: 'I don't talk with agents'."
The concern over agents and owners trying their luck in influencing the Bafana head coach may have been well-founded. Broos was not the first to complain of this within the national team setup.
However, questioning if Mosimane himself was open to influence without proof he was willing to make publicly available was ill-advised. It is impossible to accurately speculate on what conversations have or have not gone on between Mosimane and club owners and agents in the two months since then, but what is clear is that his team selection has been thoroughly meritocratic.
The momentum he has garnered is reminiscent of what Broos achieved in the first six months of his tenure.
At the time, the Belgian's irreverent team selection and approach to squad culture put everybody on their toes and led to an uptick in results. After they had failed to qualify for AFCON 2021 immediately before Broos was appointed, the Belgian fell narrowly short of steering Bafana into qualification playoffs for the 2022 World Cup.
In subsequent years, he kicked on and led Bafana to third place at AFCON 2023 (held belatedly in Ivory Coast in early 2024) and the 2026 World Cup round of 32.
When discussing the most successful Bafana Bafana coaches of all-time, Broos should be placed alongside Clive Barker in the top two. However, even the brightest tacticians eventually settle on patterns in their squad selection, and towards the end of his tenure, the Belgian became more predictable in certain aspects.
There was a fairly settled back five of Ronwen Williams, Aubrey Modiba, Mbokazi, Ime Okon and Mudau, and until he switched up his attacking plan to revive the FIFA World Cup campaign, Broos was likely to start Lyle Foster upfront with Evidence Makgopa the main alternative.
In midfield, Teboho Mokoena was a near certain starter and Sphephelo Sithole the clear preferred option alongside him, although Broos occasionally tinkered with his formation and left room for the likes of Bathusi Aubaas and the late Jayden Adams in the holding role. Nkosinathi Sibisi was considered another option, occasionally stepping out from the back into midfield.
Mosimane's arrival has reopened competition for places in these positions. Brooklyn Poggenpoel is retained in the squad after impressing in midfield over the last international break.
After Mbuthuma's minutes upfront, Radiopane and Xulu have been given a chance to earn theirs. Foster has made a second successive preliminary squad, although he failed to make the final squad last time out while in the process of leaving Burnley on loan to Houston Dynamo and settling in.
Fawaaz Basadien, Olwethu Makhanya, and McCarthy are in consideration in the backline. Mudau is, however, still the likely first-choice at right-back for the time being when he returns to full fitness. Still, Mosimane has done well to identify alternatives.
Mosimane declined to get drawn into a war of words with Broos over anything not directly related to matters on the pitch and instead praised his predecessor's impressive record as Bafana head coach.
In his first stint, Mosimane may not have succeeded in the hotseat. However, early results and his approach to team selection suggest he has justified the decision of the South African Football Association (SAFA) to give him a second chance and trust him to navigate the role without fear or favour to anyone.
Bafana Preliminary squad for Kenya (Nov. 13 & 17)
GK: Ronwen Williams, Sipho Chaine, Ricardo Gass, Thakasani Mbanjwa
DEF: Aubrey Modiba, Samukele Kabini, Fawaaz Basadien, Nkosikhona Radebe, Thapelo Morena, Thabang Matuludi, Olwethu Makhanya, Khulumani Ndamane, Ime Okon, Lebone Seema, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Aden McCarthy
MID: Teboho Mokoena, Lebohang Maboe, Sphephelo Sithole, Bathusi Aubaas, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Thalente Mbatha, Luke le Roux
FWD: Iqraam Rayners, Cassius Mailula, Oswin Appollis, Tashreeq Matthews, Relebohile Mofokeng, Themba Zwane, Thapelo Maseko, Luther Singh, Devin Titus, Lyle Foster, Boitumelo Radiopane, Nqaba Xulu, Tshepang Moremi, Puso Dithejane