Without Mensah, Crew take on Orlando City
Since Aug. 31, 2019, Crew center back Jonathan Mensah has been about as reliable as a player can be.
His consistent presence in the lineup over the past two years has earned him the reputation of being one of Major League Soccer’s top overall defenders
and given the Crew’s back line stability and a constant voice in the tensest moments.
Saturday at Orlando City at 7:30 p.m., the Crew (7-9-6, 27 pts) will be without Mensah for just the second time in 54 MLS competitions dating back to Aug. 31, 2019. The club’s captain is away on international duty with Ghana.
That comes at a time when points on the road — especially against the second-place team in the Eastern Conference — would help the Crew feel a lot
better about their chances of making the playoffs in the final 12 games of the season.
“It’s going to be a little different, but other guys have to step up,” goalkeeper Eloy Room said. “Jonah’s an important player on our team, inside the field and outside the field, but I’m confident in other guys for them to step up in this game.”
Orlando City (9-4-8, 35 pts) is 1-1-4 in its past six games but holds a 6-1-4 record at Exploria Stadium. Without Mensah — and with Josh Williams not yet at full fitness from an ankle injury that has held him out for two months — center backs Vito Wormgoor and Aboubacar Keita will have the responsibility of shutting down Orlando’s top two attacking threats in designated player Nani and striker Daryl Dike, who have returned from minor injuries.
Another Orlando City designated player, Mauricio Pereyra, is questionable with a lower-body injury, and starting goalkeeper Pedro Gallese as well as starting midfielder Sebastian Mendez are unavailable due to international duty.
Both Wormgoor and Keita have shown an ability to defend well in the box, but Mensah is second in MLS with 5.2 clearances per match. Without him in the lineup, the scrutiny on Wormgoor’s and Keita’s individual performances will be heightened.
There’s also no clear starter next to Darlington Nagbe in the Crew’s central midfield. Liam Fraser is joining the Canadian national team during this international window, leaving Nagbe and rookie homegrown Isaiah Parente as the only available players at this position. Artur, Perry Kitchen, Aidan Morris and Marlon Hairston are all unavailable due to injuries.
Coach Caleb Porter’s likely decision comes down to playing an inexperienced player in Parente or asking an attacking player to play a deeper midfield position.
“We’ve been dealing with (players out) all year,” coach Caleb Porter said. “We’re confident in the other guys, and it’s nothing new we’ve been dealing with.”
Regardless of who’s responsible for filling the void left by Mensah and Fraser for the time being, the Crew will be looking to build off a win against FC Cincinnati last week that broke a six-game losing streak. To do that, the Crew must continue to avoid allowing early goals. After conceding seven first-half goals in three games at the start of the losing streak, the Crew has conceded just two in the past four games. jmyers@dispatch.com @_jcmyers