The United States is fast becoming a hotspot for many South African sports stars to resurrect their playing career, with ample playing and financial opportunities inviting players to change allegiances.
USA’s minor and major leagues in different sporting codes have amped up their efforts to recruit players from different parts of the world. Many sports stars have been identified in driving sports development to the country, as well as spreading sports popularity in the States.
Sports Corner highlights 5 South African sports stars who have moved to the USA to further their careers:
- Rusty Theron
Theron’s international career with South Africa was short-lived (13 ODIs and nine T20Is between 2010 and 2012), even though he remained a known presence in T20 leagues until 2015. He represented three teams in IPL, and also featured in the CPL.
South Africa’s cricketer of the year in 2010, Theron spent the first half of the previous decade plying his trade in the country’s domestic circles, before fading away from mainstream cricket and retiring from South Africa first-class cricket. In 2015, he is said to have moved to Florida for a teaching course and continued to play club cricket in the United States.
In June 2019, he was named in a 30-member USA squad for a selection camp, and went on to make it to their ODI XI in September. He has been part of their one-day and T20I squads since.
Batsman Chad Bowes is also the latest player of South African origin to join the inaugural Minor League Cricket Championship in the United States of America.
Bowes captained South Africa Under-19 before relocating to New Zealand – and has forged a successful career with Canterbury.
He now play for the Bay Blazers in the States alongside Theron.
- Robbie Coetzee
South African rugby veteran Robbie Coetzee joined a host of local rugby stars in 2020 when he signed for the Major League Rugby in the United States. The 31-year-old signed with Austin Gilgronis with nearly a decade of experience as a professional, most notably with the Lions in Super Rugby.
Originally from Pretoria, Coetzee made his senior provincial debut with the Blue Bulls in 2002. He switched to the Golden Lions in 2013 and a year later started 11 games in his first season of Super Rugby. Coetzee’s form earned him selection to the Springboks tour to Europe in 2014 but he was forced to withdraw due to a persistent neck injury.
He is the latest South African hooker with Super Rugby experience to move to MLR, following the likes of namesake Stephan Coetzee at Seattle, San Diego’s Dean Muir, and new Free Jacks signing and fellow Lions export Pieter Jansen.
- Dane Piedt
In a sudden move, South Africa off-spinner Dane Piedt gave up his career in the ICC elite member nation to move to the USA, with dreams of guiding the associate into a World Cup one day.
Six months after playing a Test series in India, Dane, decided to make a move to the United States for better opportunities. Piedt played nine Tests for South Africa between 2014 and 2019, picking up 26 wickets at 45.19. In first-class cricket, the 30-year-old played 115 games, picking up 409 wickets and also has a century to his name in the format.
- Gift Ngoepe
Baseball player Gift Ngoepe became the first black South African to sign a pro baseball contract in the MLB. He made an emotional first appearance for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017, after overcoming the odds to make his way to the top. He has also played for the Toronto Blue Jays.
To date Ngoepe has a career major league batting average of .181 and WAR of -0.2 while he has a carren minor league batting average of .226 in 871 games. As of the date this was written Gift is still playing the great game that he loves, and literally grew up on, for the Double-A Altoona Curve.
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- Katlego Ntsabeleng
Katlego Ntsabeleng has become the latest South African football player to sign for a major international football club.
Major League Soccer (MLS) side FC Dallas announced on, 12 January 2022 that the club has secured the services of Ntsabeleng after his impressive showing in the 2021 campaign at Oregon State University.
The 23-year-old Daveyton-born footballer honed his skills at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) when he was enrolled for a Sport Management qualification.
He played for UJ in local leagues and the FNB Varsity Football tournament before playing for the South African Under20 national team, Mamelodi Sundowns’ reserve team and Kaizer Chiefs’ second team in the Multichoice Diski Challenge (MDC).
His success in the USA came as a result of his impressive exploits in the South African Under20 national squad. Ntsabeleng’s talent impressed Kyle Timm when the young national team competed in the COSAFA Cup in Zambia in 2018. Timm recruited Ntsabeleng to join Coastal Carolina University in the USA.
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