It is a sign of his growing influence on the side that Dithejane started and scored both goals for Fire, his first a snap-shot from 15 yards as he got to the ball ahead of teammate Robert Lewandowski.
The former TS Galaxy winger netted the winner in the 94th minute after Cruz Azul had equalised, finding himself in acres of space following a fast breakaway and turning the ball into the roof of the net.
The 22-year-old now has three goals and an assist for Fire in four starts, and 15 appearances overall, this season.
"We see it every day in training, what he does. When we came back from the World Cup, every day he's scoring goals in training and scored in both (friendly) games,” Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said. “He’s a dynamic player, gets in good spots and has tons of potential.
"Cruz Azul has a ton of quality, they didn't win the (Mexican) championship for no reason. It was a good challenge. I told the guys, 'We signed up for games like this'. We won one of them (tonight), but now we've got to win more."
The move to the MLS has been a good one for Dithejane, who is earning almost R400,000 per month in guarenteed income before tax, a figure that will likely rise in the coming seasons.
Fire finished top of the MLS section in the Leagues Cup with three wins out of three and are now scheduled to face the fourth-placed side in the Mexican section, Monterrey, in the quarter-finals.
There is more than silverware on offer. The two finalists and bronze medallists in the competition qualify for the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the top club advancing directly to the round of 16.