Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath showered some praise on Bongokuhle Hlongwane after his Man-of-the-Match display on Saturday night.
The South African forward bagged his first goal in Major League Soccer and grabbed the assist for the opening goal, as United defeated Houston Dynamo 2-1 on Saturday.
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Heath was pleased to see Hlongwane finally get his first goal, but insists they must give him time as he looks to get better.
"We've got a really good group. There's a real good camaraderie and togetherness within the group. It was a great run from Bongi [Bongokuhle Hlongwane] , beautifully timed run from Fraga [Franco Fragapane].
"Then his quality came through and I'm so pleased for Bongi to get his goal because if ever a kid's deserved a goal with the amount of work he does on both sides of the ball and if we can get him to consistently score goals from that position with the energy levels that he has to play then, as I said a few months ago when he arrived, we think there is a player there and we've got to give him time. "
I don't think people realize what a culture shock it's been leaving Africa for the first time. We're delighted for him and you could see with the response of the rest of the group how pleased for him they were."
South African stars who played in Major League Soccer