The squad picked by Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos had a lot of players from Mamelodi Sundows, a football club that plays in the South African Premier Soccer League, PSL.
Ten members of the team that is preparing to take on Cape Verde in the quarterfinals on Saturday play for the PSL club, nicknamed the Brazilians.
Eight started in the 2-0 win over Morocco in the last 16, including captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, and the outstanding midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who scored their second goal.
The only other competing nation that really came close was Egypt, but they still had a significant sprinkling of foreign-based stars beyond talisman Mohamed Salah.
Broos’ selection gave him an obvious advantage over many of his counterparts, who saw most of their players leave their clubs in the middle of the European season and have just a few days to train together before the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON started.
"When you watch these guys play you can tell they have been playing together for a while," former Cameroon defender Aurelien Chedjou, who played under Broos for the Indomitable Lions, told broadcaster Canal Plus Afrique.
"They can find each other almost with their eyes closed and that makes a difference," he added.
The veteran Belgian, who turns 72 in April, is now hoping to lead South Africa into the AFCON semi-finals for the first time since they finished third in 2000. It is quite a turnaround from their inability to qualify for the last tournament, a failure which led to Broos' being appointed.
The 72-year-old coach had little choice but to rely on a core of Sundowns players, given how few leading South African footballers play abroad.
Percy Tau of Egyptian giants Al Ahly has the highest profile. He is a former Sundowns player that featured in the team that won the CAF Champions League in 2016.
Beyond Tau, there is Lyle Foster of English Premier League side Burnley, but the striker was left out of the squad due to mental health issues.
Sundowns, who were bought two decades ago by current Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe, have won six consecutive South African titles.
They are currently well on course to make that seven, as they sit nine points clear at the top of the table. In addition to that, they won the inaugural African Football League in November, defeating Wydad Casablanca in the final.
They are coached by the very highly-rated Rulani Mokwena, who having only just turned 37 is from a different generation to Broos.
Friction has appeared between them, with Mokwena not happy when one of his many international stars returns injured from Bafana Bafana duty.
"The coach of Sundowns, he is the local Mourinho. He has won a lot of trophies, he pretends to be God and everyone listens to what he says," Broos told South African media at the start of the AFCON.
Against Morocco, South Africa’s entire back four in front of Williams were all Sundowns players.
Mokoena patrolled the midfield, with Thapelo Morena and the veteran Themba Zwane completing the club’s contingent.
South Africans used to watching the Sundowns stars playing their sophisticated brand of football – Mokwena has cited Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto de Zerbi as an influence – may feel entitled to have big expectations of their team at this Cup of Nations.
Broos does not have the same methods as Mokwena, but the man who led Cameroon to unexpected AFCON glory in 2017 is now hoping to do the same with South Africa.
"I got a lot of critics in South Africa at certain moments because of the choices I made, but I knew what I was doing," Broos insisted after the Morocco victory.
"I know the results have to follow. And even with local players, now you see they play on that high level. When they have the confidence, they can do it."
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