Bafana Bafana exited the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the last 16 - a showing which achieved the bare minimum to avoid embarrassment, but fell short of the lofty expectations they set for themselves with their improved performances over the last five years under Hugo Broos.
There are elements of the blueprint Broos has put in place for success which are still working as intended, but cracks are beginning to show, and they'll need to fill them before the FIFA World Cup in North America later this year.
The Belgian head coach said after South Africa's 2-1 last 16 loss to Cameroon: "In the coming days and weeks we will make a detailed evaluation of what was good and not good at this tournament.
"We will see what we have to change and what not to change because in six months there is the World Cup and we need to be ready for that.
"We need to look at what the problems and good things were so we are ready in March to play pre-World Cup friendly matches and we are ready for the World Cup."
Bafana Bafana are in Group A with co-hosts Mexico, South Korea and the winner of UEFA Playoff D (Czechia, Republic of Ireland, Denmark or North Macedonia).
What worked at AFCON?
If there is one young player Bafana can feel safe turning to at the World Cup, it is 20-year-old Chicago Fire FC centre-back Mbokazi, who proved at the AFCON that he was not out of place among the world's best players.
However, just as notable as Mbokazi's superb showing against Mohamed Salah in the 1-0 loss to Egypt was his attitude during an off day in the 3-2 win over Zimbabwe. Mbokazi was beaten by Tawanda Maswanhise for Zimbabwe's first goal, but stayed vocal and was even willing to venture forward and try his luck on the counter-attack.
His move to MLS has received mixed opinions, but it will at least afford him time to acclimatise to the USA, who will co-host the World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
Burnley's Foster led the line with distinction for Bafana during the AFCON with two goals and two assists from four games.
There were moments when he was isolated and frustrated - most notably in the last 16 clash with Cameroon. However, his sharpness in front of goal, resilience and unflappable work rate leave Broos with plenty to work with.
Fullbacks: Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba
Mamelodi Sundowns duo Mudau and Modiba were arguably Bafana's most consistent players during the tournament.
In the match against Cameroon, Broos started Samukele Kabini at left wing-back ahead of Modiba. However, when South Africa played with a four-man backline, Modiba and Mudau were the starting fullbacks.
Even in the defeat to Cameroon, Modiba came off the bench and assisted Evidence Makgopa's late goal to put Bafana back in the game.
Impact players: Tshepang Moremi, Evidence Makgopa
Makgopa's goal was a sign of how effective he can be off the bench when the chips are down. While not technically as well-rounded as Foster, Makgopa is an excellent target man with impressive strength and footballing instincts.
Tshepang Moremi had an overall strong tournament out wide, but his best performance came off the bench in the 2-1 win over Angola - as his searing pace changed the game in Marrakesh after he replaced Mohau Nkota at half-time.
ESPN South Africa correspondent Leonard Solm discusses South Africa's chances of going further then they have before at the World Cup.
What needs to be fixed?
Rotation of youngsters
Evidence from the AFCON suggested that not all of the young players in Bafana Bafana's squad have the same resilience after mistakes and setbacks as Mbokazi.
Broos, in fairness, deserves credit for being the first Bafana coach in recent memory to consistently afford opportunities to young players over a sustained period of time. However, it is natural that players will be in and out of his team.
Perhaps the likes of 21-year-old duo Mohau Nkota and Relebohile Mofokeng are not quite ready to play their best football as bit-part players, and are better suited to only being on the pitch if they have central roles to play in the team (which, at peak form, their supreme talent could live up to).
Saudi Pro League-based Nkota was superb for Bafana Bafana in the build-up to the AFCON but appeared to lose confidence during the tournament. Mofokeng had rediscovered his best form for Orlando Pirates and showed flashes of brilliance, but missed a golden opportunity to score against Cameroon.
It is possible that Nkota and Mofokeng have gained mental strength from their experience at AFCON and will be far better players come June. However, if not, they will have to be managed carefully at the World Cup, as fellow youngsters Tylon Smith, Khulumani Ndamane and Shandre Campbell were at AFCON.
The midfield
It was not only youngsters Mofokeng and Nkota who did not quite look themselves at AFCON. Bafana Bafana's midfield - usually an area of strength - was repeatedly overrun. Teboho Mokoena and Sphephelo 'Yaya' Sithole were well below their best, while Thalente Mbatha saw limited time on the field.
Broos has options in this department, but the first priority should be to attempt to find a way to get the best out of Mokoena and Sithole - his most technically skilled midfield players.
If this cannot happen in time for the World Cup, then apart from Mbatha and Bathusi Aubaas, another potential option could be Masindi Nemtajela, who has been in impressive form for Orlando Pirates. Portsmouth's Luke le Roux could also be in the mix.
Lack of club-country coherence
One issue for Broos is that it is not quite as easy for him to cherry-pick a starting XI of players who know each other inside out as it was two years ago. This is because Mamelodi Sundowns' dominance in the Betway Premiership has been challenged by Orlando Pirates, while many talented young South African players are moving overseas.
However, there are two other issues which the Belgian mentor will have to resolve: a lack of coherence in strategy between the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL), and differences in preferences between himself and South Africa's top club coaches.
For instance, Broos tends to play Sipho Mbule as a number 10, while he plays deeper for Orlando Pirates. Masindi Nemtajela and Lebone Seema are getting plenty of game time for the Buccaneers under Abdeslam Ouaddou, but are currently not favoured by Broos.
Likewise, there are players such as Mamelodi Sundowns' Thapelo Maseko (now seemingly set for a loan move to AEL Limassol) who have fallen so far down the pecking order at club level that they reduce Broos' options.
The late end to the PSL fixtures ahead of the AFCON gave Broos limited time to prepare his team, and then he clashed with Orlando Pirates over the reasons given for Mbokazi's late arrival in camp.
Given that South Africa's strength in recent years has largely hinged on the strength of the PSL, there is room for greater collaboration between the association, one of Africa's most professional football leagues, and the clubs therein.
Broos' brash statements
When Broos first took his role as Bafana Bafana head coach, his willingness to call out those even at the top of the game in South Africa worked wonders. He had the results to back up his comments, and they generally appeared to catalyse greater levels of professionalism across South African football.
However, in the build-up to the AFCON and during the tournament itself, there were times when Broos chose an abrasive approach in situations where silence or de-escalation would probably have served him better.
His comments on Mbokazi's late arrival to camp and move to Chicago Fire ahead of the tournament were delivered in such a manner that led to them becoming a distraction rather than a rallying cry.
In fairness, Mbokazi handled the situation superbly by doing his talking on the pitch. However, there were other issues Broos probably should not have allowed himself to get drawn into rigorous public debate on, but did.
One was the non-selection of Thembinkosi Lorch. While Broos sticking to his guns was understandable, he probably would have drawn less attention to the issue if he simply batted away questions about the Wydad Casablanca attacking midfielder/winger rather than growing irate and repeatedly arguing his case.
Broos had every justification to leave Lorch out of his squad. However, his dismissiveness in explicitly and repeatedly stating that he could not help the team indirectly heaped pressure on several players -- notably the out-of-form Sipho Mbule -- to perform.
While his blunt style of speaking is often helpful, he may have been better served drawing attention away from Mbule in this instance by offering milder platitudes about needing to make a decision for the long-term benefit of the team, while still holding respect for players that were not chosen.
Heading into the World Cup, Broos could consider points of controversy such as those surrounding Mbokazi and Lorch as questions which he can answer with the same talking points, but delivered in a vastly different tone.
Heading into arguably their most important six months since the build-up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Bafana Bafana can ill-afford any distractions.