Were Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates the problem? Golden Boot-chasing Jasond Gonzalez and hat-trick hero Souaibou Marou continue impressive scoring form for league title contenders

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Jasond Gonzalez found the back of the net for Club Always Ready in a 5-2 win over San Antonio Bulo Bulo in a Bolivian Primera Division match on Saturday.

Gonzalez scored the second goal for his club in the match in the 48th minute before adding another in the 72nd minute.

The tall Colombian striker is Always Ready's joint-top scorer with six goals in nine matches and he is also one goal behind the Bolivian Primera Division leading scorer, Damian Villalba of Independiente Petrolero.

Meanwhile, former Orlando Pirates forward Souaibou Marou was on target for Charlotte Independence, who defeated AV Alta FC 2-1 on Saturday in the USL League One.

The Cameroon international has scored in each of his last three games, including a hat-trick against Westchester FC.

He has netted six goals in 12 games across all competitions for Independence.

The big win means Club Always Ready continue to lead as they stand atop the table with 23 points from nine games.

Gonzalez's side is yet to lose a single game after winning seven and drawing in two.

Always Ready further enjoy a 20-goal difference, showing how lethal their striking department is.

Marou's side is third with 17 points, just three fewer than the league leaders, Spokane Velocity.

Since returning to Bolivia, Gonzalez has been finding the back of the net more regularly, something he failed to do so for Amakhosi.

He was part of the strikers at Chiefs that struggled to produce goals, and to paint how bad the situation was for him at Naturena, he scored no goals in the 13 games he played.

The Glamour Boys did not turn his loan deal into a permanent contract, paving his way back to his native country.

When he left Chiefs and returned to Bolivia, he managed six goals for Real Santa Cruz, although the club was relegated last year.

As Gonzalez continued to find the back of the net, Chiefs struggled to score goals in their just-concluded season.

Even head coach Nasreddine Nabi lamented that he would have led the club to a higher position if he had a prolific striker.

Meanwhile, Marou also struggled in the PSL, as he also failed to register a single goal for the Sea Robbers. He was released in June 2024 after just a season with Bucs.

Should they continue finding the back of the net regularly, questions will be asked about whether Chiefs or Pirates were the problem, or whether they were.