As part of a series, ColumbusCrewSC.com examines key numbers and trends surrounding the players. In this edition, we take a closer look at defender Jonathan Mensah.
There were a lot of storylines that came out of the Crew’s 4-0 win over FC Cincinnati, whether it be the scoring prowess, the Crew’s midfield trio, the unified defending, or the overall passing stats.
Of the many bright spots, one figure that stuck out was Jonathan Mensah, who put up one of the highest successful-passes totals in Major League Soccer in nearly a decade.
The centerback captain completed 135 passes on 141 attempts for a 95.7-percent completion rate in the team’s first match back after a four-month suspension.
MENSAH SUCCESSFUL PASSES: FULL MATCH
MENSAH UNSUCCESSFUL MATCHES: FULL MATCH
Mensah’s 135 passes complete was more than twice the highest total of any FC Cincinnati player as the Crew held on to 62.1 percent of the game’s possession, while Mensah's passing accuracy in the opponent’s half was 84.8 percent.
Forty-nine of Mensah's 135 completed passes went to either Darlington Nagbe or Artur, who as literal centerpieces for the Crew helped dictate the game as Head Coach Caleb Porter expressed post-match on Saturday.
But it wasn’t just in the passing game where Mensah racked up figures.
The defender, who just turned 30 years old on July 13, totaled team-highs in clearances (2) and interceptions (2) to go with a match-high eight recoveries.
On the heels of the Club’s biggest win in over four years, the Crew returns to the field on Thursday, July 16 for a 10:30 p.m. ET match against the New York Red Bulls.
The match is set to be televised nationally on FS1, TUDN and TSN, as well as via stream on the FOX Sports App and the TUDN App.
Following RBNY's 1-0 win over Atlanta on Saturday, both teams currently have three points in Group E. Crew SC leads the standings 4-1 on goal differential.
