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https://www.espn.co.uk/espn/story/_/...er-tylon-smith Tylon Smith - South Africa/QPR
An absolute Rolls Royce of a defender, Smith largely lived up to the billing at the U-20 tournament, even if he and his Amajita teammates enduring a chastening outing against Colombia as they were defeated 3-1 in their Last 16 elimination.
The centreback, currently on the books of Queens Park Rangers in the English Championship, is a particularly elegant defender, boasting solid defensive fundamentals with the vision and composure in possession to set him apart from his peers.
Against New Caledonia, for example, as South Africa ran out 5-0 winners, he demonstrated his ability to be a deep creator for the national side, completing 96 percent of his passes and finding his man with 12 of his 12 long balls attempted.
Not the sternest test, perhaps, but Smith's showings in Chile have prompted calls back home for Hugo Broos to consider the former Stellenbosch FC man in his senior squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Smith, who has represented the Bafana Bafana CHAN team, was part of the South Africa side that won the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, where he was named Player of the Tournament, having been a member of the victorious COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup side in 2024.
His quality in possession is, at times, reminiscent of Rivaldo Coetzee, arguably in a class of his own when it comes for Bafana defensive pass masters, although Smith has more aggression and appears more comfortable in one-on-one defensive scenarios than the former Mamelodi Sundowns man.
An absolute Rolls Royce of a defender, Smith largely lived up to the billing at the U-20 tournament, even if he and his Amajita teammates enduring a chastening outing against Colombia as they were defeated 3-1 in their Last 16 elimination.
The centreback, currently on the books of Queens Park Rangers in the English Championship, is a particularly elegant defender, boasting solid defensive fundamentals with the vision and composure in possession to set him apart from his peers.
Against New Caledonia, for example, as South Africa ran out 5-0 winners, he demonstrated his ability to be a deep creator for the national side, completing 96 percent of his passes and finding his man with 12 of his 12 long balls attempted.
Not the sternest test, perhaps, but Smith's showings in Chile have prompted calls back home for Hugo Broos to consider the former Stellenbosch FC man in his senior squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Smith, who has represented the Bafana Bafana CHAN team, was part of the South Africa side that won the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, where he was named Player of the Tournament, having been a member of the victorious COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup side in 2024.
His quality in possession is, at times, reminiscent of Rivaldo Coetzee, arguably in a class of his own when it comes for Bafana defensive pass masters, although Smith has more aggression and appears more comfortable in one-on-one defensive scenarios than the former Mamelodi Sundowns man.
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