Banyana Banyana midfield maestro Linda Motlhalo has finally been unveiled at NWSL side Racing Louisville in the USA.
The American club announced the South African last month (17 January 2024) as their new signing and have now finally released images of her in the team’s colours as she joined her new mates in a training session.
She was scooped from Glasgow City in Scotland and will continue to wear the famous Number 10 jersey.
Racing may have lost a gem in forward Thembi Kgatlana (to Mexican giants Tigres UANL), but in Motlhalo they have also made a great signing of a player that has a decorated CV.
She was on the books of Houston Dash in the USA, where she signed her first professional contract in 2018 – making 21 appearances.
The following year she was running out for Beijing BG Phoenix in China, spending a year in the East before making her way to Europe and signing for Swedish club Djurgardens IF – this is where she played 75 matches during a three year stay.
At her previous club in Scotland, she scored four goals accompanied by six assists in 32 games and won the Scottish Women’s Premier League title.
Before her departure to the USA, she penned an emotional letter to the European club.
Motlhalo will only get a taste of league action at her new club after the international break.
Racing Louisville will kickstart the season when they host Orlando Pride on 16 March, before visiting her former team, Houston Dash on 23 March.
The Gauteng-born player has been included in the Banyana Banyana squad that will face Tanzania in an all-important 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifiers – with the first leg away in Dar es Salaam on Friday, 23 February.
The Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga will host the reverse fixture Tuesday, 27 February, which will kick off at 19h30.
Together with the five other overseas-based players (Thembi Kgatlana, Hilda Magaia, Jermaine Seoposenwe – all in Mexico; Refiloe Jane – Italy; Noko Matlou – Spain), Motlhalo will fly directly to Tanzania to meet up with the other Banyana Banyana players who will be departing from South Africa.
Motlhalo has 72 caps for the Sasol-sponsored South African Senior Women’s National team, with 20 goals to boot. She made her debut at the age of 17.
The midfielder has played in two FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments – the 2019 edition in France as well as the 2023 competition in Australia and New Zealand, netting once in the latter event. Her bloated CV also show that she has been to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
Motlhalo was instrumental in helping Banyana Banyana to their maiden TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in 2022, where she scored two goals in six games.
By Matlhomola Morake
