Crew’s top defender set for playoffs
Mensah was named to MLS Best XI on Friday
Crew center back Jonathan Mensah was named to the 2020 MLS Best XI on Friday after a regular season in which he was the most dominant defender in Major League Soccer for more than half of the year but tapered off in the home stretch as the Crew slipped from first to third in the Eastern Conference. The Best XI selection and Mensah's third-place finish in voting for MLS Defender of the Year captain testify to what a good year the captain had for coach Caleb Porter's team. But some uncharacteristic blunders in the final few games of the regular season diminished what was an otherwise brilliant season.
Mensah, who said he felt fatigued late in the season, said he's feeling “really good” ahead of Saturday's first-round playoff game against the New York Red Bulls at Mapfre Stadium.
“Maybe three or four or five games to go I started to feel tired,” Mensah said. “(Porter) would look at me and say, ‘Hey, Jonah, we need to go again,' and I'm like, ‘All right, coach, I'm here for the team, I'll go again.' But then when nature kicks in, sometimes you have limited control, and that's what happened. I always put my team first and go out and fight for them. It's good to have extra days to be able to prepare for our first playoff game.”
Playing every minute of every game, Mensah was a key factor in the club's record-setting pace of allowing just five goals in the first 13 games this season. He solidified himself as a calm but assertive leader en route to the club's best finish in the Eastern Conference since 2015. He led MLS in blocks (30), passes (1,473) and clearances (114) in the regular season.
Asked about some mistakes he made in the final games of the season, Mensah didn't seem bothered, saying moments like a clumsy foul against Philadelphia that led to a penalty kick can happen to any player.
“You are the one that judges that, so if you call that a mistake, I'll take it,” Mensah said.
Porter said Friday that mistakes from defenders will always be magnified because of their position on the field, but Mensah — whom the club signed to a multi-year contract extension this season — has been one of the most consistent players for the Crew.
“I think always there's going to be some mistakes that you see from every player, really,” Porter said. “At the end of the day, I think he's had a great regular season.”
As the leader of the defense, Mensah's return to being an impenetrable force would factor heavily into the Crew's ability to make a run toward MLS Cup.
“It's great that he's getting credit for his work,” Porter said. “But, again, as the captain of the 2020 Crew, his legacy will be defined on what we do from here on out.” jmyers@dispatch.com
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