Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Teenage Hadebe makes instant MLS impact with two awards in his debut season!

Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Teenage Hadebe has walked away with two club awards at new side Houston Dynamo in the MLS. 

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Hadebe has had an instant impact in the MLS after swapping the Turkish top flight for an opportunity at Houston Dynamo and it has paid off with two awards.

Hadebe joined Chiefs in 2017

Hadebe had joined Chiefs from Zimbabwean outfit Chicken Inn FC in the 2017/2018 close season, where he would then go on to make 39 appearances overall in his two-years at Amakhosi. The lanky centre-back will not have good memories of his last appearances in the colours of Amakhosi, as they suffered a last minute 1-0 defeat to then NFD club TS Galaxy through a Zakhele Liphasa penalty. 

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Hadebe would then join Turkish Super Lig club Yeni Malatyaspor and he quickly found himself as a regular at the club, making 28 league appearances in his first season. The Zimbabwean did so well in his time in Turkey, in fact, he even attracted interest from French Ligue 1 side according to reports during that period. 

Traded the Turkish top flight for the MLS and won two awards

But Hadebe would choose to leave Turkey for the USA earlier this year where the Zimbabwean international now has subsequently become a key component of their team. Furthermore, it seems like that move has worked wonders for the left-footer, as he has gone on to be named Dynamo’s 2021 Defender of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, having made 17 appearances for the club.

Dynamo’s statement

“Teenage Hadebe was named the Defender of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Hadebe joined the Dynamo on a full transfer from Yeni Malatyaspor in Turkey’s Süper Lig on June 28 and helped the team keep a clean sheet in his debut, a 0-0 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 20,” The club wrote on their website.

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Dynamo then continued by producing Hadebe’s impressive defensive statistics.

“The 26-year-old led the team in clearances (73) and recoveries (97) until he suffered an injury in Houston’s 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC on Oct. 16. The center-back finished with the third-highest mark in recoveries and with the fifth-most interceptions in 2021 with 31.” They concluded.